Chelsea hero John Obi Mikel has recalled Kevin de Bruyne as a young Blues player.

Obi Mikel says the Manchester City star struggled to fit in at Cobham.

He told Dubai Eye: "Kevin was always a stroppy guy, he was always on his own, he was always moody, he was always grumpy. You could never get anything out of him.

"But now when I watch him play... what a joy. What a joy to watch."

When asked if De Bruyne and Mohamed Salah's disappointing experience at Chelsea was the making of them, he continued: "I think so when I look at it. You can also say with [Romelu] Lukaku as well, he went to Inter Milan but he went back and it didn't work out.

"But when I look at the likes of Kevin de Bruyne and Mo Salah, what they've become now, the best players in the world, it's amazing to see. They've become physically stronger, they've become faster. I don't know what happened to them!"