Matty James says his leadership skills were driven into him while learning his trade in the Manchester United academy after pulling on the captain's armband against West Brom.
The midfielder made his return from a groin injury in the 2-0 victory over the Baggies after a small setback from surgery had kept him sidelined for five matches. City's form suffered during his absence with one victory during that time and Saturday's win at The Hawthorns emphasised the importance of his role in the side.
It was not just his quality on the ball that City missed but also his ability to bring balance and organisation to the midfield which ultimately contributed to a hard-fought clean sheet. That was reflected in the manager's decision to give him the captaincy on the evening with Dan Bentley currently finding himself out of the starting XI.
Andi Weimann is the usual stand-in for Bentley while Andy King has also worn it in the keeper's absence. But with all three players on the bench during the week, the responsibility fell onto James' shoulders and that's where his experience developing with one of the biggest clubs in the world came to the fore.
He said: "I think I wore it last year, I can't remember when but it's an honour for me to wear it and I respect the decision the gaffer made. Whenever I'm called upon I'll try and lead the team regardless of whether I've got it on or not.
"Through the years of playing you get a little bit more experience over what's happening whether it's on or off the pitch - you kind of learn different things. Certainly my upbringing at Manchester United was a big part of that.
"You had to lead in a younger role or if you played in the reserves, in a scholarship or in the Under-18s. You're still expected to show those leadership qualities so I think it's something that has been drilled upon us at a young age.
"It's hard to explain the Manchester United way that I certainly had. It was very humbling, you had jobs to do and if the job wasn't done right there were small consequences and it was the standards that were drilled into you.
"The standards you then create your own leadership inside your own little group. So even at U18 level if somebody isn't doing something right and you're being seen by the first-team as not doing your job correctly you've kind of got to say something because you want that to be perceived in a good light."
At the age of 31 and given the relentless nature of the Championship, injuries are always going to be part and parcel of James' season. Following his calf injury picked up in the warm-up against Sunderland, City lost six out of the 10 games he has been sidelined for while losing three of the eight he has played in.
However, two of those came against Norwich and Burnley where City went toe-to-toe with last season's Premier League sides where they could have come away with at least a point on any other day. Keeping him fit will be key to City's success and James is now looking ahead after his minor setbacks.
He added: "It's been a bit of a frustrating couple of weeks, I had a little setback after a small surgery I had to have on my groin. So it was a small complication after it but I was buzzing to be back out there and we got the three points as well.
"It was a little bit of a frustrating start because I picked up a small injury in the warm-up against Sunderland that was completely unexpected so I fought back as quickly as I could and (we had) a couple of good wins and then the two performances at Norwich and Burnley were still positive in defeat.
"I had the groin operation so I think for me now it's just making sure I'm staying fit as much as I can and helping the team as much as I can. Unfortunately, sometimes your body doesn't respond to the way you want it to and it's then how you come back from it."
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