As Manchester City's season continues through what may politely be described as a period of uncertainty, Kevin de Bruyne's stock continues to rise.
Not long before we met on Monday, De Bruyne learned he had been nominated for the Ballon d'Or and the stats show the Belgian has created more chances — 24 — than any other player in the Premier League this season.
It is less than 14 months ago that the 25-year-old arrived back in England from German club Wolfsburg with many people asking just how a player sold by Chelsea for £18million in January 2014 could be worth £55m a year-and-a-half later.