Was Leroy Sane’s display against his former club Schalke 04 - featuring a goal and a hat-trick of assists - the best of his Manchester City career so far?
“No,” was Pep Guardiola’s abrupt answer. A qualification followed - “After the first goal, yes. Before no,” - but the overarching message was clear. Sane can do better.
Of course, Guardiola delivered the very same message to Raheem Sterling after his match-winning hat-trick against Watford at the weekend.
And it is noticeable that while some members of Guardiola’s first-team squad are lavished with praise by their manager, others are given a dose of tough love.
Tuesday night was only Sane’s fourth start in City’s last 10 games. Aside from an FA Cup tie at Newport, he last completed 90 minutes against Liverpool at the turn of the year.
His 26 starts in total this season is a respectable amount but he would most likely have played less had left-back Benjamin Mendy avoided injury.
Mendy remains unfit but even so, with Oleksandr Zinchenko excelling at left-back, Sane’s minutes are still being managed.
For a 23-year-old player of his ability - the reigning PFA Young Player of the Year, no less - it is an unusual situation.
Almost three years in to his City career, he has proven himself capable of being a first-team regular. And Sane is not unsure of his own talents either.
His demotion from the matchday squad in August was due to a perceived attitude problem, not long after similar complaints led to his omission from Germany’s World Cup squad.
But any tensions between player and coaching staff at club level have since subsided and, on the evidence of Tuesday night, whatever way Guardiola is managing him, it is working.
City now hope to tie Sane down to a new contract. The winger’s current deal only expires in 2021 but others in age bracket are tied down for the long term.
And though Guardiola confirmed as early as last autumn that negotiations were under way, talks would be helped along by Sane starting more regularly.
The City manager eventually expanded on his initial, curt answer and having administered the stick, here came the carrot.
“I know it is tough for Leroy,” he said. “He doesn’t play every game, but after 20 minutes he was outstanding for the goal, the assists.
“He is a player we know has incredible qualities. It is difficult to find around the world a player with the qualities he has.”
For now, City can still afford to keep those qualities in reserve, unleashing them at select moments, picking and choosing opponents for Sane to dismantle.
Yet if he carries on responding well to this tough love, it will not be long before he has to be considered more than just a squad option and given a status befitting his talents.
