Alexis Sanchez may have turned down Manchester City for neighbours Manchester United but Kevin De Bruyne and the runaway Premier League leaders are unfazed.

Sanchez had been tipped to join Pep Guardiola at City before the Chile international forward opted to leave Arsenal for United in a blockbuster deal.

Belgian midfielder De Bruyne – who signed a new contract through to 2023 – insisted City are fine without the former Barcelona star.

“It doesn’t matter,” said De Bruyne. “We will still do what we need to do, with or without him.

“He chose United. Okay, there are a lot of good players. If they want to come, they want to come, and otherwise we will do it with our team.”

City are 12 points clear of second-placed United atop the Premier League table after 24 matches.

De Bruyne and his team-mates face Cardiff City in the FA Cup on Sunday before hosting West Brom in the Premier League on Wednesday.

Sanchez could make his United debut at Yeovil Town on Friday, ahead of the trip to Tottenham in the league midweek.

-This story originally appeared on FourFourTwo.co.za