When he was a child, Igor Jesus’ uncle bestowed him with the nickname Sapinho — meaning ‘little frog’ — because of the manner in which he would enthusiastically leap around, when playing as a goalkeeper.

By the final whistle of Manchester City’s 2-1 win at the City Ground, visiting central defenders, Ruben Dias and Josko Gvardiol, could have been forgiven for wishing that the Nottingham Forest man was still between the posts.

The Brazilian striker has not lost that youthful energy, but in the five months since joining Forest from Botafogo — for a fee of £16million — he has put it to good use, as he quickly found his feet in the Premier League.

And a more fitting nickname now might well be ‘little pest’.  At 5ft 10in (179cm), Jesus is not the biggest forward, but his physical size is not reflected in his mentality. Quite the opposite.

With his Mohican-style haircut and tattoos, Jesus looks like a man who means business. And he had the duo of Dias and Gvardiol — world-class defenders — rattled long before half time.

Forest were frustrated that Dias was not shown a red card. After collecting a booking for a cynical foul on Jesus in the first half, he brought him down again as he rampaged down the left side early in the second. Manager Sean Dyche was “stunned” as to how referee Rob Jones and the match officials decided that it did not merit a second yellow card.

But while he was frustrated by the decisions that went against his side — he felt there was a foul on Morgan Gibbs-White in the build-up to Rayan Cherki’s winning goal for the visitors — he will have been buoyed by the performance.

And none more so than that of Jesus. The 24-year-old personifies much of what has been good about the Forest side under Dyche, when they have been at their best during his 14 games in charge. This was the fifth defeat of Dyche’s tenure but it was one of their better displays.

And the work rate, industry and intelligence — as well as the ability to mix things up — of Jesus ran through the side.

Last season, the prospect of being without Chris Wood for any period of time would have qualified as a season-defining crisis at Forest. His 20 goals were crucial to the seventh-placed finish secured under Nuno Espirito Santo.

When, before kick-off, news emerged that Wood had undergone surgery to help resolve his persistent knee problems, it was still a significant blow. Wood had been back in training, as he looked to complete his recovery from a knee problem that had sidelined him since mid-October.

But it was decided that surgery, to repair cartilage in his knee, was the only option to properly get him fit again.

Sean Dyche was not happy with the officials in the defeat to City (Michael Regan/Getty Images)

That news will have been mitigated slightly by Jesus and the manner in which he continues to lead the line.