Pep Guardiola gave new boy Ruben Dias a glowing tribute after a fine debut against Leeds.
Manchester City splashed out a club record £65.2million on the Portugal international - a lot of money for a 23-year-old.
And as he only joined the Blues last week, and they were facing an aggressive and attacking Leeds team, it seemed unlikely that he would be thrown straight in.
But Guardiola said that he had "no choice" but to play him as John Stones had only just returned to training after ten days out injured, while Eric Garcia has hamstring "niggles".
He left Stones and Nathan Ake on the bench, and threw Dias straight in alongside Aymeric Laporte.
His performance was a big plus for the Blues on a troubling day when they were second-best for long periods and had goalkeeper Ederson to thank for keeping them in the game.
Guardiola said of Dias: "He made his debut after just two training sessions, and this team, Leeds, is not the best way to start, for the difficulty.
"But he was outstanding. He gave us the sense of the mature and leading the line and knowing what you have to do."
City had tracked former Benfica star Dias for two years before making the plunge, and sending Nicolas Otamendi the other way in a £13.7million deal.
