Manchester City may have suffered a disappointing two-goal collapse against Brentford in the Premier League on Tuesday night but one man was back to his best.

Pep Guardiola’s foundations collapsed once again as the champions threw away a two-goal lead at Brentford despite Kevin De Bruyne’s vintage display. The Belgium international has started just 10 games this season, struggling to maintain fitness due to a hamstring injury that kept him sidelined around two months.

Captain Kevin being fit and firing is essential since Rodri, City’s other midfield maestro and Ballon d’Or award winner, underwent surgery in September for a ruptured anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee following the injury against Arsenal at the Etihad in September. Playmaker De Bruyne returned to a flailing City that’s won just four of 16 games in all competitions 11 days ago.

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He captained the team on his 400th appearance in their 4-1 home win against West Ham United, playing the full 90 minutes, setting up talisman Phil Foden for a second half goal.

Still, his 400th appearance was a marquee moment for the club he joined in 2015 from Wolfsburg, and despite noise surrounding his future after entering the final six months of his contract, he consistently laments his priority when questioned on the issue.

‘’I don’t care. I am just trying to get back to my level," De Bruyne said when he was last asked about the prospect of a new deal at the Etihad Stadium.

"I feel like every week I’m getting better. Fitness wise I’m getting better and able to run 90 minutes now. It’s been an uncomfortable couple of months with the injury, but I am getting better, performing better and better so that’s it.”

His sparkling display against Brentford certainly showed that. The 33-year-old delivered a throw-back performance to the old master, pulling the strings from central midfield, showing there’s a lot of life in those legs.

Kevin looked fully fit, the drive and quality was there from start to finish, it’s the De Bruyne we have become accustomed to seeing in his Sky Blue career. He drove City forward throughout the game, tormenting the Brentford defence with his range of passing and manipulation of the space around him, creating a game high eight chances.

One of those eight saw him set up England international Foden once again, he pulled away from his man on the right-hand side and curled a world class cross to the 24-year-old; the Belgium international has a knack for providing the goods against Brentford, having an assist in all three of his Premier League visits to the Gtech Community Stadium.

When speaking to City+, Foden shared his delight connecting with the Belgium yet again, feeling their chemistry on the pitch is down to the foundations they’ve set over the years.

‘’We’ve built that combination now for years,” he declared. “I’ve been playing and training with him and I know the ability he has to put the balls into the box. It’s about making the movement, and he will put it in the perfect spot for me.

"Mine and Kev’s connection is good on the pitch, and he gave me the perfect ball, I just had to help it on. I was delighted to see it hit the back of the net.’’

The former Ballon d’Or runner up seems to be back to his best and that’s a huge positive moving forward.