Twelve months ago, off the back of leading Leicester City to a Premier League title and being named PFA Player of the Season, Riyad Mahrez supposedly was being lined up by Manchester City chiefs as a potential summer transfer.
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Incoming City boss Pep Guardiola had reportedly outlined the Algeria international as a target should the Etihad club fail to land then-Schalke winger Leroy Sane. Guardiola got his man, though, and after an arduous start in Manchester, Sane is beginning to repay the Catalan.
But how do the two compare in terms of statistics?
Mahrez has scored more goals than Sane over all competitions, though he has played far more minutes this season. The Leicester attacker has struck 10 goals over 3343 minutes of football, equating to a goal every 0.6 games, while Sane's goal to 0.7 games breaks down to seven strikes in 1838 minutes.
Both players have registered two Champions League assists - Mahrez in nine appearances, Sane in four - with the former's three in the Premier League topping the latter's one.
Both Sane and Mahrez have been criticised for going to ground easily recently, with the City winger winning a penalty for his side against Middlesbrough last month, despite little contact being made. Their direct style of play often sees the pair being chopped down by opponents, though Sane has found more success on average in his dribbles this season. The City winger has come out on top of 60 of his 109 attempted, with his Leicester counterpart completing 98 out of 211.
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Mahrez gets the better of Sane in terms of key passes per game, however, with his 2.9 outweighing Sane's 2.2.
The truth is, while Mahrez has already established himself as one of the most exciting wingers in the English top flight and deserving of the big-money move which is almost certainly going to transpire in the coming months, Sane is looking to find similar success to the Algerian.
Although they are likely to line up on opposite sides of the pitch on Saturday lunchtime, the pair have an opportunity to steal the spotlight and improve on their personal record before the season's end.