Kevin De Bruyne has told England fans to lay off his Manchester City team-mate Raheem Sterling.
Sterling received a rough ride from the Stoke City support during the Blues' 4-1 victory at the Bet365 Stadium on Saturday, a continuation of the boos he received at almost every away ground last season.
The 21-year-old courted controversy when he went public with his desire to leave Liverpool towards the end of the 2014-15 campaign, and has had to contend with the baffling reaction from rival supporters with no connection to the Merseyside club.
He was was fiercely criticised for his performances for England during the European Championship, coverage which continued after Roy Hodgson's side were eliminated, and it appears that antipathy has carried over into the new domestic campaign.
De Bruyne insists the barbs are having no effect, but says the fans who boo him - many of whom are English - should keep quiet.
"I don’t think he’s really bothered about people talking about him," the Belgian told reporters. "Everywhere he goes in England there are lots of fans of the opposing team shouting at him. I don’t know why because he’s a great English player, they should be supporting him instead of booing him.
"But that’s the way it goes - the City supporters will cheer him.
"He’s a great player. I don’t care what people say about him after last year or the Euros - these things happen, footballers have ups and downs. Hopefully he can continue this for us now because he is very dangerous.
"Obviously he’s been criticised a lot in the last year but the way he’s responding is great. You can talk as much as you want off the pitch but you have to show it on."
De Bruyne only rejoined his team-mates ahead of the new season at the start of August, and has been asked to carry out a roaming central role by new City boss Pep Guardiola, but he believes he is progressing well.
"Things are going good," he added. "I’ve only been in training for two-and-a-half weeks and I’m adapting to my new role. But it’s going well, I’m looking forward to the next games."
The Belgian also believes the team as a whole have already improved on last season's performances: "You’re seeing that we’re playing a lot better than last year - that’s what we are trying to do. Obviously if you win first three competitive games it’s a nice boost."
> ..... - Goal