Man City ace De Bruyne receives managerial badge as Premier League Player of the Season signaling intention to move into management

MANCHESTER CITY star Kevin de Bruyne was awarded his UEFA A coaching license just a week after winning the Premier League title.

The 30-year-old, who recently won the PFA Player of the Year award for the third straight year, was one of 18 Belgian players to receive the country’s football association certificate.

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It comes after De Bruyne reconciled playing for Man City and doing coaching sessions with their academy groups.

This experience helped him with the Uefa course, which lasts two years, meaning he can now manage a youth team or be an assistant coach to a first team in Europe.

Speaking about coaching in 2021, De Bruyne told The Mirror: ‘When you’ve worked with a man like that [Pep] Guardiola, you see this sport very differently.

“It would be good for football in my home country of Belgium to pass on all this knowledge.

“That’s why I don’t say no to coaching anymore. I’ve started a coaching course and am preparing all the lessons I’m told.

“At the same time, I have to admit that I like a lot of things outside of football too.”

A number of other high-profile Belgian players received the certificate alongside De Bruyne after national team boss Roberto Martinez advised them to earn their coaching badges.

Among them were Jan Vertonghen, Youri Tielemans, Leandro Trossard, Simon Mignolet, Axel Witsel and Thomas Vermaelen.

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Belgian Football Association coach Kris Van der Haegen said: “A lot of the guys have already made great progress and we’re already seeing the results.

“Just look at our federation, where Thomas Vermaelen has joined the Red Devils staff.

“But Nicolas Lombaerts and Timmy Simons are also good examples.

“You can see that a lot of guys have great potential as coaches. It’s a win-win situation. The Devils are passing on their experience to future Red Devils.”