Former Manchester United player David Beckham may be the only legendary footballer who can pass the ball more effectively than Manchester City's Kevin de Bruyne on the run and in crosses, according to Manchester United legend Rio Ferdinand.

De Bruyne recently equaled Liverpool legend Steven Gerrard's Premier League assist total when Pep Guardiola's team defeated Wolves 3-0 last weekend, setting up his 91st and 92nd goals in the league. As a result, Ferdinand also believes that De Bruyne is among the best in Premier League history.

Amazingly, De Bruyne matched the mark in 287 fewer games for Manchester City than Gerrard did for Liverpool.

The midfielder still has a ways to go before breaking Ryan Giggs' 162-goal Premier League record for Manchester United, with players like David Silva, Dennis Bergkamp, Frank Lampard, Wayne Rooney, and Cesc Fabregas as his next targets.

Ferdinand, however, thinks De Bruyne is comparable to Premier League greats Gerrard, Lampard, Paul Scholes, Roy Keane, and Patrick Vieira when evaluating the league's greatest midfielder in league history.

“He has just equalled Gerrard in terms of assists in the Premier League, but in far fewer games,” Ferdinand said on his FIVE YouTube show.

“He still has some way to go to equal Cesc, Giggs, and Lampard.

“Say if Frank, Stevie, Scholesy, Vieira, Keane were playing against Kevin De Bruyne now, it would be interesting."

“The game is different. Would De Bruyne be able to play in a two-man midfield against Vieira or Scholes? Would he be as effective?

I think De Bruyne would. His capacity to run, his dynamism, his ability on the ball. Only [David] Beckham passes the ball better on the run, crossing-wise.”

De Bruyne has already created eight goals for Man City so far this season – six in the Premier League and two in the Champions League.

The 31-year-old is now on international duty with Belgium as they prepare to take on Wales and the Netherlands in the UEFA Nations League later this month.