Kevin De Bruyne’s injury setback has been offset by the form of Bernardo Silva, who has waited patiently for his chance, according to Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola.
De Bruyne is expected to miss around two more months after injuring a knee in training in August.
“He is the most loved guy in the locker room and he played 90 minutes. It’s always there,” Guardiola told a news conference. “In the beginning it was a little bit difficult. He came from France to England, and even for me, I needed a period to know, to understand a little bit, and everything about the way we wanted to play and in the way that we are aggressive without the ball, sometimes we need more time.
“He can play there, because he can fight. He is skinny, small, but he is — wow.”
Silva, who made 53 appearances last season, had his first preseason disrupted by a late start after playing for Portugal in the Confederations Cup.
But after his country’s round-of-16 exit from the World Cup in July, Silva flew to the United States to play in the International Champions Cup — the only World Cup player to do so for City.
“I am happy because I am helping the team and happy because I am playing well,” Silva said. “I hope I can continue this way.
Silva believes that familiarity with Guardiola’s system has helped set him up for success.
“The second season is always easier than the first one,” he said. “When you change, it is always more difficult.
You have to adapt to the way the new team plays. You have to adapt to your teammates, to the league, the referees, and obviously, I have a lot more confidence. I feel better with the team and I hope I can do better than last season.”
Guardiola said it is “almost impossible” to be more pleased with Silva’s development than he is.
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