Bernardo Silva will leave Manchester City this summer when his contract comes to an end. Assistant manager Pep Lijnders urged supporters to cherish the “last six weeks” of a remarkable nine-year stint at the Etihad. Bernardo disclosed back in October that he already knew what lay ahead beyond this season, but that the moment to reveal it had not yet arrived.
No official announcements from either the player or the club have yet arrived, but Lijnders was unequivocal following the 4-0 victory over Liverpool when quizzed about Silva’s irreplaceable calibre. “You never replace a player with the same kind of player because they don’t exist. Bernardo Silva is unique,” the City assistant stated. “The way he controls games, the way he moves, the way he receives, the way he leads, the way he sees the solutions. All these things.
“You never search for a replacement of one type of player. You search for what is needed to grow with the team and somebody who can fit in the first XI. And then you hope, with our academy, with the young players we already bought that they can make that step as well in the midfield positions.
“If you see our young boys in the academy, then they have to make that step and to grow. But the most important is that the seniors who stay for a long time, that they stay, that they stay, that they stay. That they are always there and, around that, you can move.
“But it will be hard because, as I said, in the game, when he is not playing you will see how he is missed and that’s one game. Imagine a season. But every good story comes to an end, and I hope he enjoys the last months – there are only six weeks – and has a good farewell. He deserves all that attention as well.”
Barring a dramatic change of heart, Bernardo will depart City as one of their most celebrated and finest ever players. The Portugal international has claimed six Premier League titles, a Champions League, two FA Cups and five Carabao Cups across nine magnificent years at the Etihad. He could yet add another league title and a third FA Cup success.
Beyond being the player Pep Guardiola has utilised the most throughout his managerial career with 450 appearances for City, which will place him eighth on the all-time list for the club, Silva has led by example as club captain this season to restore standards that had slipped last term. The 31-year-old lifted the Carabao Cup at Wembley last month.
He has long spoken of a return to boyhood club Benfica at some stage in his career, though Barcelona and Juventus are also keen on securing his signature on a free transfer this summer. Wherever his journey takes him, he will forever be cherished at City.