Key Brugge players – Carlos Forbs and Hans Vanaken
Ex-Manchester City youth winger Forbs spent time on loan at Wolves last season but made little impact in 10 Premier League appearances – nine of those from the bench. However, he has already impressed in Club Brugge colours, scoring two goals and assisting two in the two home Champions League matches so far. He was also named City’s U18 player of the year in 2021, ahead of Rico Lewis and Romeo Lavia.
Prolific midfielder and captain Vanaken has been with the club since 2015, scoring over 100 goals in more than 400 appearances. He has won six league titles and five Belgian Super Cups. He has scored 11 goals in the Champions League proper and is the fifth Belgian to hit double figures in the competition after Romelu Lukaku (18), Dries Mertens (16), Kevin de Bruyne (16) and Eden Hazard (10).
Club Brugge squad summary
They sold midfielder Ardon Jashari to AC Milan for about £25m this summer, while left-back Maxim de Cuyper and winger Chemsdine Talbi joined Brighton and Sunderland respectively.
Club Brugge have an exciting crop of youngsters, with 20-year-old defenders Joaquin Seys and Jorne Spileers both now first-team regulars. Midfielder Aleksandar Stankovic, also 20, hails from an elite footballing family – his Serbian dad Dejan won the Champions League with Inter Milan in 2010, while his uncle is former Tottenham and Lille midfielder Milenko Acimovic.
