Kevin De Bruyne hailed the start of a new era at Manchester City on Sunday evening after winning the EFL Cup at Wembley.

De Bruyne was at City for the League Cup win two years before, although he missed the final with injury, but since then the team has radically changed. Only five of the starters from the 2016 final played on Sunday, and in the aftermath of victory De Bruyne talked of his excitement with the “totally different team” that Pep Guardiola has built.

De Bruyne admitted that this new generation of City players had won very little before Sunday, but hoped that this first triumph would inspire them on to more. And De Bruyne praised the recruitment of Guardiola and Txiki Begiristain in bringing this new generation to the club.

“I think our team is very young,” De Bruyne said. “Since I came in two years ago, it’s a totally different team. The transfer strategy that City got is amazing, so they did really well.”

De Bruyne, at 26, is older than some of these players but he said that this first win would be hugely important to help teach them how to play and win finals, given the professional performance they produced against Arsenal at Wembley.

“Yes it will help them, obviously,” he said. “A lot of young players didn’t win a lot in their career. So it will help them to get the experience of playing this game, the way you need to handle it, the way you need to end it. Yes, it will help them in the end.”

City were not at their best in the first half but then they turned it on and De Bruyne said that improvement would stand them in good stead in any finals they have to play, this season or beyond.