The manager who handed Kevin De Bruyne his Belgium debut believes the midfielder can reach the level of Cristiano Ronaldo, Lionel Messi and international team-mate Eden Hazard.
De Bruyne moved to Manchester City this summer for a club record fee worth around £55 million following 18 blistering months with Wolfsburg, where he was named player of the year in the Bundesliga for 2014-15.
Goal revealed how De Bruyne, anxious to keep his counsel in public, was privately desperate to move to the Etihad Stadium, where he will get the chance to prove himself in the Premier League after an ill-fated spell with Chelsea.
Georges Leekens gave the 19 year-old De Bruyne his first international cap and also worked with him as a youngster at RAA Gent, where he first showed the impatience which perhaps counted against him at Stamford Bridge but fuelled his return to England, and the veteran coach believes his former protege is ready to become one of the game's biggest stars.
“I think he can go to the highest level.” he told Goal. “I mean on the Messi, Ronaldo and Hazard level. He has already shown what he can do.
“He will grow. Wolfsburg are a good club but Manchester City is bigger and now it’s the big jump. He’s at the age now where he can start a big career at club and international level."
The Blues boss has suggested this summer that De Bruyne could not handle competition for places at Stamford Bridge, and while Leekens admits the Belgian can be too impatient for his own good at times, he says he proved himself by moving to Wolfsburg and will put up a fight for a starting spot at the Etihad.
“Sometimes you can think you take one step back, but I don’t think it was a step back for him," he continued.
“It was good to experience another kind of football in Germany and now he will prove he can play in England at the highest level.
“He went to Wolfsburg after Chelsea to prove himself and he will fight to be successful [at City], of that I’m sure. He’s that kind of player.
“Financially Chelsea did a very good job, but maybe Kevin was not ready at the time or they had players in that position.
“I know Kevin, he’s not patient. He will not wait until he gets a chance. He likes to get that chance today, he doesn’t wait until tomorrow and that’s Kevin’s character.
“I remember him at RAA Gent and he was like this, he knows what he wants and he likes to play.
“He was 14 at Gent but then he went to Genk. We knew that we had a big player but we didn’t have the money to hold on to him.
“At that moment he was good but, following his moves, I think he’s excellent and now he will show he’s world class in England. He likes to play, he never thinks about money. He always thinks about playing and that’s one of his biggest qualities.
“I hope that he adapts as soon as possible with Manchester City because they’re doing well and they’ll get some more quality. That I’m sure.”
The coach, who first called up De Bruyne for a friendly against Finland in 2010, does not think another step up in quality - or the hefty fee - will faze him.
“Whether it's £40 million or £70 million, it’s a lot but the players don’t have to think about this. It’s the outside world, it’s the price depending on the market. He’s not a player who will make problems in the headlines about this price.
“I think his adaptation to Manchester City will be very easy because Vincent Kompany is there.
“He is skillful, has a good mentality and is very intelligent - he reads the game very well. You need intelligence to be at the highest level.
"He’s a player who can play a few positions. He can play on the outside, inside, the No.10 role and he can go from box-to-box and is very decisive.
“He’s very independent too, very sure of himself but he will stay the same normal guy. He’s very aware about his qualities and he knows he has to work hard, and he does."
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