Kevin De Bruyne was always destined to become a world-class player and now he's realising that potential at Manchester City.

It's been two years since the Belgian completed a £55 million move to the Etihad Stadium from Wolfsburg and he's been worth every penny.

His performance against Stoke City over the weekend was the latest in a string of incredible displays that finds him favourite to be named PFA Player of the Year at the end of the season.

Even Harry Kane, who has been in stunning goalscoring form for Tottenham, can't lay a finger on De Bruyne at the moment.

In the days since the 7-2 win over Stoke, where De Bruyne made two assists, manager Pep Guardiola has described him as one of the best players in the world right now.

But in order to cement that status, the 26-year-old must start winning trophies with City.

"If you want Kevin to be considered one of the best, he has to win titles," said Guardiola. "We are here to help him achieve that.

"But he is one of the best. It would be a dream for me, I would love all the players - not just Kevin - to achieve the level of [Lionel] Messi.

"I don't want to put the pressure on Kevin. He is an amazing player, a humble guy, all his teammates love him. He wants to play every game and fight until the end."

City's gain is ultimately Chelsea's loss. Back in the summer of 2014, the Blues sold De Bruyne to Wolfsburg due to issues involving Jose Mourinho.

Chelsea fans have always blamed Mourinho for losing De Bruyne, who said two years ago that the Portuguese was the main reason behind his exit.

And the reason? According to De Bruyne, Mourinho not only starved him of game time, but spoke to him just twice during his two years at Stamford Bridge: in November 2013 and January 2014.

"I didn't get any explanation," said the midfielder in 2015. "I only talked with him twice, Mourinho.

"That was before the Champions League game against Basel, where he said I was doing better and that I would get my chance. I think that was maybe November.

"And then one week before January, that's the day I said I wanted to go out because even if I was training better, I was not getting any minutes. So for me personally, it was better to go."

Mourinho upset De Bruyne by basically ignoring him for two years, so it's no wonder he opted to leave for the Bundesliga.

It just goes to show how important man management is when it comes to nurturing top talent - not that Mourinho has a very good track record in that department.