‘I said no’ - Jose Mourinho explains why Chelsea sold Man City hero Kevin De Bruyne

Former Manchester Untied boss Jose Mourinho insists he did not want to sell Kevin De Bruyne while he was Chelsea manager but the player himself forced an exit.

The Belgian spent two years at Stamford Bridge between 2012 and 2014, spending the 2012/13 season on loan at Werder Bremen in Germany. He clocked just nine senior appearances for Chelsea before leaving for Wolfsburg in January 2014. Almost 18 months later, he was wearing blue back in England once more, this time for Manchester City.

He has lifted five Premier League titles, two FA Cups and the Champions League while at the Etihad, recording 96 goals and 153 assists in 358 matches. Many have often ridiculed Chelsea for selling him having also done the same to Liverpool star Mohamed Salah, who arrived as De Bruyne left prior to his own 2016 exit.

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However, Mourinho said in both cases it was the player who pushed for an exit and that he in fact wanted to keep them. He said neither were willing to wait around for their break - something he in retrospect brands as a good decision.

Addressing De Bruyne’s exit while speaking to the Obi One Podcast, he outlined the midfielder's eagerness for game time, saying: “With Kevin… he went to [2013] pre-season in Asia, to Indonesia and Thailand.

“[Chelsea said] Kevin should go on loan to a German club, and I told the club ‘No, I don’t want him on loan, I want him with me’.

“He stayed with me and he starts the Premier League playing in the starting XI. After that game, we played the European Super Cup in Prague against Bayern Munich, and he didn’t play that game.

“The next day, he wants to