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‘Yaya’s been training like a demon.’

That was the word from Manchester City insiders as Yaya Toure was brought out of exile at Selhurst Park last month.

Such complimentary terms had been hard to come by as the Ivorian midfielder’s time at the Etihad headed towards a bitter conclusion.

Pep Guardiola’s very public declaration that the 33-year-old - out of contract at the end of the season - would be frozen out of the first team picture until further notice appeared to bring a premature curtain down on his City career.

That any hope of a recall was dependent on an apology following comments made by the player’s outspoken agent Dmitri Seluk, summed up his plight.

“If Pep Guardiola wants a war, then he can have one,” was the Russian’s predictable response.

But Toure’s route back into Guardiola’s plans is a testament to both player and manager - who refused to back themselves into a corner when a combustible situation threatened to explode.

Relations between the pair are said to have remained warm from the moment Guardiola arrived in the summer.

That is why, sources close to Toure say, he was so shocked when learning of his exile only after Guardiola announced it at a press conference five weeks into the season.

At that time the understanding was that Toure would be free to leave as early as January - if he could find a buyer - with a move to a Premier League rival not ruled out.

The prospect of him starting in the centre of City’s midfield in a crucial top of the table clash with Arsenal just three months later would have been fanciful at best.

But it is notable Guardiola kept Toure involved in first team training throughout this period of ‘stand-off.’

Having earlier questioned his intensity when omitting him from his Champions League squad, City’s manager was impressed with his commitment - losing as much as a stone in weight since the previous season.

Sources speak of such scenarios ‘going south - quickly.’ But Toure’s determination to force his manager into a rethink was key to the resurrection of his City career.

It is rumoured that Guardiola declared ‘Toure gets it’ when speaking of his demands during one intensive training session.

The cordial relationship between the two is what facilitated Toure’s return from the brink.

The exact circumstances of his public apology, which was so wide-ranging as to include Seluk’s infamous ‘birthday cake’ rant, remain unclear - but it was the final step to his dramatic comeback in the 2-1 win against Crystal Palace.

Toure’s own attitude and humility is to be commended.

But so is Guardiola’s masterful command of the situation to such an extent that the player’s surprise recall didn’t even look like a climbdown on his part.

Guardiola broke Seluk’s hold over City - with the agent becoming famed for one outrageous outburst followed by another.

Toure’s influence, however, has only been emphasised in recent weeks.

City’s over-reliance on him had become a weakness under Manuel Pellegrini.

That may not be the case anymore - but the statistic that City’s only three victories in their last eight games came when Toure was in the starting line-up speaks volumes of his enduring effect, even as he enters the final six months of his City career.

As of January he will be able to speak to interested clubs - but his preference has long-been to remain in the Premier League.

The question is whether he can now do enough to convince City to hand him an extension.

Ilkay Gundogan’s cruciate ligament damage is set to keep him out for six months at a minimum. Other injuries of that nature have taken as along as a year or 18 months to fully heal.

Were that the case, would it be such a bad idea to keep Toure on for another year?

His re-inclusion in City’s Champions League squad now looks certain with both Gundogan and Vincent Kompany injured.

Guardiola - who had informed Toure during the summer that he was happy for him to stay and fight for his place - is grateful to have him at his disposal in his time of need.

“You know the reason why he was out in the first part of the season,” he said. “Now he has come back. I have seen him play like he can and he was when I met him in Barcelona.

“He’s a player with no doubt about his quality.

“When his physical way is right, he can make everything. He is strong in the air, he is fast, he has personality.

“That’s why we decided Yaya would stay here.

“Now of course with what happened when he came back, he helped us a lot in the three games he played. We won with him.

“The moment he came back he was part of the team. Sometimes we decide he will play, sometimes not.

“Now in this moment he is maybe going to have more minutes than before.”

Should he start against Arsenal it will be the first time Toure has played two games in the same week since last May.

It may be something he has to get used again.