Neither Kevin De Bruyne nor Chelsea should have any regrets about how the Belgian’s time at Stamford Bridge came to an end in January 2014, according to current Blues boss Thomas Tuchel, who insisted the Premier League was the toughest in the world for a young player to adapt to.

De Bruyne played in west London for only half a season before returning to the Bundesliga with Wolfsburg. Some have suggested the move to England came too soon, while others believe he was not afforded enough time to develop in SW6, particularly when viewing the situation through the prism of hindsight.

The midfielder has, after all, won eight major honours in England with today’s opponents Manchester City and could seal a third Premier League title at Eastlands with victory in the teatime kick-off. Yet Tuchel understands the nuances involved in developing young players and suggested that De Bruyne’s career might not have followed the same path had he simply stayed longer at Chelsea.

‘I know you can get caught up in these thoughts that it was maybe a big mistake to let him go but you never know what would have happened if he would not have changed clubs and went back to Germany,’ said Tuchel.

‘Maybe he needed it at that time, a different league and a different challenge, to now be at the best level that he’s maybe ever reached.

'He’s so influential at City and even been the captain for this amazing and successful team so maybe it was exactly the right thing for him, or maybe he would have taken the same route if he had stayed and fought his way through.

‘It’s hard to tell but what I can tell you is that this league brings out either you do it or you don’t. This is the best league to do it or don’t do it. It just challenges every player and coach on the highest level in football and you have only two possibilities - you step up and adapt, or you don’t make it in this league.’

Some comparisons have been drawn between De Bruyne’s early career at Chelsea, during which he spent a season on loan at Werder Bremen before making two Premier League starts in 2013/14, and the fortunes of a duo who have made the move from Germany more recently.

At 21, Kai Havertz was a year younger than De Bruyne when he made his competitive Blues debut back in September, while Timo Werner was a couple of years older at 24. Both struggled at times to adapt to the pace, intensity and relentless schedule of English football in the opening months of their time in the Premier League but have now found form, impacting games with moments of quality and decisive contributions.

After combining for two goals in our past two outings – Werner threading a lovely pass through for Havertz to score against Fulham and then the former nodding in after the latter hit the crossbar in midweek against Real Madrid – Tuchel believes they are finding their feet at a critical stage of the campaign.

The boss acknowledges the pair’s courage in making bold moves to London but feels such steps will be decisive in helping them both reach even greater heights, a process that he will offer patience and support towards.

‘I’m very happy that Timo and Kai both stepped completely out of their comfort zone and took this adventure,’ he added. ‘It was a huge challenge to come to England, to go abroad, go to the hardest league, go to a club with a real winning mentality, a tough club where it’s not about second or third place, it’s about winning.

‘This is bravery and this is the right step for them to bring out their very best. It’s the league that sharpens their character and their mentality, and what we can see is that they’re on their way.

‘They’re still young but we will push them. It’s always a process that for some is faster and for some is a bit slower but we will never lose the patience. As long as they are Chelsea players, they get full support.’