Manchester City captain Vincent Kompany says compatriot Kevin De Bruyne is a phenomenal player and could be a great signing for the Premier League club.

Wolfsburg midfielder De Bruyne has been heavily linked with a move to City throughout the summer and Kompany is certain that the Belgian would add a great deal to the squad if the move materialises.

“Let me put it this way, he (De Bruyne) is definitely not going to make the team weaker. He’s a phenomenal player,” the 29-year-old was quoted as saying in British media reports.

“Our squad can become stronger by getting everyone in the right direction. Players like Raheem (Sterling) and (Fabian) Delph, from what I’ve seen, will give us something different,” he added.

Kompany said he and some of his team mates did not perform well last season and were keen to improve.

“We had so many players -- and I was one of them, especially at the end of last season -- who didn’t perform and if they do, then it’s like having six or seven new players. Then we do have a stronger squad,” the Belgian international said.

City find themselves in an unusual position of being considered underdogs for their clash against champions Chelsea on Sunday and Kompany is confident they can use it to their advantage.

“We are happy to let all the other ones be the favourites. For us, it’s a different position to be in and maybe a good challenge for the team to take on,” Kompany said.

“There’s a lot of hunger in this team, a lot of desire to do well and the first hour on Monday was exceptional.

“We have shown what we can do and what every manager will say now is, why not do it every game?

“So far, it’s a 100 per cent record but let’s not get ahead of ourselves,” he added.