As Kevin de Bruyne made his way off the pitch after being replaced by Rico Lewis 16 minutes from the end of Manchester City’s 3-0 win over Nottingham Forest, Pep Guardiola grabbed the Belgian and pulled him into an embrace.
It was like a father offering affection to his son at a job well done.
De Bruyne responded with a smile of satisfaction before continuing on his way to the top of the small terrace of City benches.
A day earlier, Guardiola scoffed at the suggestions of Sky Sports duo Jamie Carragher and Gary Neville that there was some kind of rift between the boss and his star man.
Why on earth, Guardiola countered, would he leave out someone who is capable of delivering moments like no-one else, even in his star-studded squad?
Finally back on the pitch to start a Premier League game for the first time since August, De Bruyne proved exactly what Guardiola meant.
On a night Guardiola conceded City had to win, it was the Belgian’s firm header that created an eighth-minute opener for Bernardo Silva as they went on to finally end their seven-match winless run and close the gap to leaders Liverpool to nine points.
The goal from De Bruyne that followed was a thing of beauty as he backed away from Jeremy Doku as his fellow countryman ran with the ball, arriving in enough space to take the short pass and send his shot into the corner.
Afforded extra space by his manager’s decision to play Jack Grealish alongside him in a central position, De Bruyne schemed in the way he usually does. As chances came and went, he was playing some significant role.
De Bruyne lasted 74 minutes, his longest match time since completing the full 90 minutes against Brentford on 14 September. He was on the bench when he was announced as man of the match, a decision received with enthusiasm by the City support.
“I am so happy he is back,” said Guardiola. “He played 75 fantastic minutes.
“He deserves the best because he’s a lovely guy and has been massively important for so many years since he arrived.”
City are now unbeaten in their past 31 Premier League games with De Bruyne starting. He has been involved in 25 goals (nine goals, 16 assists) in those games.
De Bruyne said: “There have never been issues between me and Pep. He knows I’ve been struggling. It’s painful and uncomfortable.
“Hopefully I can get back to my body with not much pain and then I’ll be fine.”
However, a bit like the victory itself – tarnished by an injury to Manuel Akanji that may rule the Switzerland defender out of the weekend trip to Crystal Palace, and a hamstring problem for Nathan Ake who has already missed five weeks with a similar injury this season that Guardiola said “doesn’t look good” and makes him feel “sad” for the Dutchman – there was a caveat as the City boss assessed De Bruyne’s contribution.
“He fought a lot and he prepared himself,” he said. “He is back to his physicality. The minutes he played at Anfield were really good.
“Last season he was out for many months, this season as well. We will see how he recovers after a long time injured and how he feels in three days.”
De Bruyne recorded four or more shots and created four or more chances for the third time in a Premier League game this season.
Despite only starting five Premier League games, only Arsenal’s Bukayo Saka has done so more often this term.
Guardiola’s fear must be that if he pushes De Bruyne too far too quickly, his body will let him down.
Former Man City defender Micah Richards told BBC Match of the Day: “He is a top-quality player and one of the best we have seen. He always manages to find space on the pitch.”
“He has been integral to Man City’s success over a number of years,” added former City boss Stuart Pearce on Amazon Prime.
“He is the go-to player that sets Erling Haaland alight with his passing. He creates goals, he scores goals.
“If you were to pick one player out over the last eight or nine years De Bruyne would be at the top of almost everyone’s list.”
It is a delicate balance given his team are still nine points adrift of Premier League leaders Liverpool and are also outside the Champions League top eight before next week’s trip to Italy and a meeting with Juventus, after which City will only have January first-phase games remaining to ensure they secure qualification for the last-16 without needing to be bothered by February’s play-off round.
However, as with his team, De Bruyne’s recovery had to start somewhere.
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