Vincent Kompany always had full faith that Jamal Musiala would make a full recovery from injury, with the Bayern Munich playmaker in line to be involved against RB Leipzig.
Musiala has not featured this season after he broke his leg during a Club World Cup defeat to Paris Saint-Germain.
The Germany international, however, has now recovered fully and is ready to be involved.
And Kompany says Musiala will feature in his squad against Leipzig on Saturday.
"I had complete confidence that he would recover," Kompany said.
"You always have to trust the lads, that it's not a step backwards, but sometimes a step forwards. I'm always there for the players, as are all of us – whether it's Christoph Freund, Max Eberl or one of my assistants. That's very important for us.
"As a player, I often got injured at the start of the season. You want to be back in contention for the trophies at the end. That's a huge motivation for them, and we're only just getting started. These players can make a difference."
Kompany also stressed the need for patience with Musiala, who the Bayern boss feels will need time to reach his top level.
"He exudes a lot of positive energy. At the moment, even the little things are great. You appreciate everything much more," Kompany added.
"Jamal is experiencing that right now, as is Alphonso Davies. I want to protect both of them. The priority right now is integration.
"At some point, they'll reach the level they were at before their injuries. When you play all the time, your fitness comes from playing. Now he's had time to rebuild his body, strengthen his mobility and speed. That's why injuries give you time to come back even stronger."
Bayern beat Koln on Wednesday to reach 47 points, which equals the record tally for a Bundesliga team after 17 games of a season.
Kompany's team have also plundered 66 league goals, which is 10 more than any other team has ever managed at the halfway stage of a Bundesliga campaign.
Leipzig sit third, 15 points adrift of Bayern, though they did get back to winning ways by beating Freiburg 2-0 last time out.
PLAYERS TO WATCH
RB Leipzig – Willi Orban
Orban scored in Leipzig's win over Freiburg, but it is defensively that Ole Werner will need the Hungarian to deliver against this rampant Bayern team.
The centre-back led Leipzig for interceptions (three) against Freiburg.
Bayern Munich – Luis Diaz
Diaz has been involved in 18 goals in the Bundesliga this season (nine goals, nine assists), matching his Premier League record from last season.
Since detailed data collection began in 2004-05, only team-mate Harry Kane (27) has recorded more direct goal involvements in their first 16 Bundesliga games than the Colombian (18).