<\/p>\n
Kevin De Bruyne sits fifth in the all-time Premier League assists list on 95, but doesn\u2019t hold a candle to Steven Gerrard as a midfielder, according to Jermaine Pennant.<\/p>\n
De Bruyne has\u00a0Frank Lampard (102), Wayne Rooney (103) and Cesc Fabregas (111) in his sights, but is still way behind Ryan Giggs (162) in the assists stakes.<\/p>\n
But Pennant believes both Gerrard and Paul Scholes are ahead of De Bruyne as the best midfielders in Premier League history<\/a>.<\/p>\n He told talkSPORT<\/em>: \u201cIf you put Gerrard in this team now\u2026 Gerrard was the complete midfielder. He could defend like a centre-back, he could score goals and finish like a striker, he could ping like Scholes. He had everything to his game.<\/p>\n \u201cThat\u2019s why I\u2019m edging to Steven Gerrard. It\u2019s close.\u201d<\/p>\n When asked for his top four, he added: \u201cI\u2019d picked Gerrard, Scholes, KDB and then I might stick in Frank at fourth.\u201d<\/p>\n He added: \u201cYou put Kevin De Bruyne in a very average football team, like you did in the World Cup and everyone was saying \u2018where has De Bruyne gone\u2019, he can\u2019t do what Steven Gerrard did in an average team.<\/p>\n \u201cYou put Kevin De Bruyne in an average team, like you saw in the World Cup, and he goes missing.<\/p>\n \u201cSteven Gerrard was playing in an average Liverpool team.\u201d<\/p>\n Pennant also had a little dig at Chelsea legend Lampard, adding:\u00a0\u201cI\u2019ve never rated Lamps.\u00a0He\u2019s a good player, don\u2019t get me wrong, but he just scored goals.\u201d<\/p>\n De Bruyne was criticised for his comments<\/a><\/strong> and performances for Belgium at the World Cup, but has returned to domestic action in flying form, having found the \u201cfire\u201d necessary according to manager Pep Guardiola.<\/p>\n