Bernardo Silva has had a brilliant start to the 2023/24 season with Manchester City after signing a new long-term contract with the club and it also appears that he shares a ‘special’ relationship with Pep Guardiola in the squad.
The Portuguese midfielder, who arrived at the club from AS Monaco in 2017, has become one of Pep’s most reliable players.
He’s been almost like a jack-of-all-trades for the Cityzens, playing in a variety of different roles and understanding the manager’s system perfectly.
The 29-year-old can operate as a winger, as a no.10, in a no.8 role and even as a false no.9 if needed. His versatility is probably a big reason why Guardiola was so keen about ensuring that he signed a new contract with the club in the summer.
It also appears that Silva might be a bit of a ‘teacher’s pet’.
Man City full-back Kyle Walker recently weighed on this and how the squad often uses him as a pawn when they need to ask the manager for a holiday.
He said: “Bernardo Silva has such a good relationship with the manager that when we want days off , we ask him to go and talk to Pep.”
WALKER 💬 I think Bernardo showed how important he is to the team. Off the pitch, you don't see as much. He has a good relationship with the manager if we want days off I'll send him in for that! pic.twitter.com/dp7pOE7HoB
Bernardo was recently made a part of City’s five-man captaincy group including Walker himself (the first-choice captain), Kevin de Bruyne, Rodri and Ruben Dias.
Guardiola was also quite desperate to ensure that the 29-year-old did not leave his side amid strong links to Barcelona a few months ago. Pep had admitted that his side would have been in ‘big, big problem’ if they had allowed Silva to leave in the summer and how delighted he was to see him sign a new long-term contract with the club.
Though some fans have shared their doubts over the claim from Walker, questioning how Silva can really be this attached to Guardiola yet has been in the spotlight for so many exit rumours over the last few transfer windows.
A possible reason why Pep has a soft corner for Bernardo is because of how adaptable the Portuguese midfielder has been since joining his side.
In an interview last year, Guardiola said: “He can do everything. Offensively and defensively, he can do everything that you can do. He can play in six positions, this is important.”
Silva’s football IQ and general smartness on the pitch have even earned him praise from De Bruyne, who said last season: “Bernardo is so smart, isn’t he? His understanding of the football game is unbelievable. He plays about 19 different positions, even though there are only 11 available. He is so, so good.”
It’s clear that the Man City squad is well aware of Silva’s importance and how he always stays in the gaffer’s good books, which is why they’ve made them their unofficial spokesperson to get some cheeky demands fulfilled.
