Nigel Pearson believes Martyn Waghorn is starting to look like the player he was when he first arrived at the club three years ago.
The young striker has been dogged by a problematic hamstring injury for the past year.
Even before his injury, which he picked up while on loan with Hull, he had endured a frustrating, fractured time at City following his permanent move from Sunderland.
The England Under-21 international has taken advantage of Jamie Vardy's injury in recent weeks and, on Tuesday night, he produced a performance at Bolton which was reminiscent of the form he showed while on loan at City from Sunderland in 2009-10.
Pearson said it had been a long road back for Waghorn but urged him to kick on and take his chance to cement himself in the City line-up.
"If you speak to him he will be very honest about how things have gone for himself," said Pearson.
"His performance the other night was more like the Martyn Waghorn I knew two or three years ago. He had good energy levels, was aggressive and very positive.
"It is a good opportunity for him now. He has had a difficult period of time in his career as a young man and has had to deal with disappointments.
"How you deal with disappointments, not just in football but in life in general, dictates how successful you can be.
"It is important he now builds on performances like he produced at Bolton. He is a talented player."
Waghorn admitted he struggled psychologically with his injury but said his confidence was growing.
"Playing games will help but I am feeling good," he said.
"It will take some time after the last couple of years I have had, but I am enjoying playing again. The more I play, the better I will get.
"It has taken a while to get back into the swing of it and, hopefully, I am finding my feet again. Another couple of games and I will be flying."
The 22-year-old said having the belief of Pearson and the help of all the backroom staff had been crucial in overcoming the injuries.
"Because it was my hamstring, every time you sprint it is in the back of your mind," he said. "That is disappearing now and I don't think as much about it.
"It is just a case of rebuilding your confidence. The backroom staff have been great, as have the gaffer and the coaching staff.
"They have shown belief in me and, hopefully, I can repay them."
