Mourinho did not want to hear what was fair or unfair, he wanted to see an acknowledgement from De Bruyne that he was willing to compete against Eden Hazard, Willian, Oscar, Andre Schürrle and Juan Mata. One month later, he was sold to Wolfsburg for £18million.

The reasons why Chelsea let De Bruyne leave 18 months before he was valued at £55m by Manchester City are muddied by the fact Mourinho has now left Stamford Bridge and the predictable finger-pointing that has since ensued.

With Chelsea now unable to qualify for next season's Champions League, De Bruyne’s superb goal against Paris Saint-Germain that clinched City’s place in the semi-final has only escalated the demand for answers from frustrated Blues supporters.