Manchester City midfielder Kevin De Bruyne claims he only spoke to Jose Mourinho twice during his ill-fated six months under the Portuguese manager at Chelsea.

De Bruyne is desperate to prove himself in England with a reported fee of 55 million pounds ($85.4 million) hanging over his head at City, plus his previous struggles to make an impact at Stamford Bridge.

The Belgian said his critics forget he first joined Chelsea at just 20 years of age, while he was at the club during the tenures of three separate managers - Andre Villas-Boas, Roberto Di Matteo and Mourinho - over just two years.

Now at the Etihad Stadium, De Bruyne insists he is a more mature individual, while he said a lack of communication gave him little chance under Mourinho.

"You can't compare with me two years ago at Chelsea," De Bruyne said on Friday. "It's a different situation and I am a completely different person. I was younger and just didn't play that much. I wasn't even on the bench.

"I didn't get any explanation. I only talked with him twice, Mourinho. That was before a game against Basel in November, where he said I was doing better and that I would get my chance. And then again one week before January, that's the day I said I wanted to go out because, even if I was training better, I was not getting any minutes. So for me it was better to go."

De Bruyne was sold to Wolfsburg and after an impressive season-and-a-half back in the Bundesliga - where he had previously played on loan from Chelsea at Werder Bremen - the Belgium international earned a big-money move to City.

He is relishing his second chance in the Premier League.

"You know there is going to be a lot of pressure," he said. "When I was coming here, the first thing I said to everyone was that when I get to England I will have to prove that I am a good player.

"I know everyone will talk about the money. It was the same in Belgium when I was with the national team for two weeks. They only talked about how much City paid to Wolfsburg, and how much I am going to earn."