He had been waiting in the wings for a while and Sunday afternoon he was released onto the pitch. After a five-month absence Belgian Manchester City star Kevin De Bruyne celebrated his return. City manager Pep Guardiola was on hand licking his lips.
You don’t need to tell Pep Guardiola how valuable Kevin De Bruyne is. His long absence - KDB dropped out on 11 August - proved that once again.
After his return in the match against Huddersfield, Manchester City's Spanish manager could once again summon up the superlatives as of old.
"Kevin is exceptional and unique," he said. "He helps us win games and there are not too many players like that. We will need him."
"I'm pretty sure Kevin felt how much we love him. This mutual respect will be there forever."
With a fit De Bruyne, City can once again hunt for prizes. "I know he can handle the pressure, but I don't want to put all the pressure on his shoulders".
"He is not yet ready to play 90 minutes. He first needs to accumulate lots of minutes and pile up training. Soon, against Newcastle on 13 January, there will be another chance for him to play."
"After that, we have two weeks of rest, which we will use to prepare him further for the second half of the season."