Silva is ‘best player in Premier League’, says Guardiola

Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola has described midfielder Bernardo Silva as the best player in the Premier League after his excellent showing in Wednesday’s 2-1 win over Aston Villa.

Silva has been in excellent form all season and flashed a real glimpse of his talent with a scorching volley at Villa Park to give his side an unassailable lead.

Most would agree that it has been a straight shoot-out between Silva and Liverpool’s Mohamed Salah for the honour of being the best in the league this season, but after the game, Guardiola insisted there can only be one winner.

“[Silva] was the best in the league two or three seasons ago and he is the best in the league at the moment,” Guardiola said (via The Times). “You would have to look at the tapes from three years ago, when we had 98 points, and you see the player he is now.

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“He has special ability and can do whatever he wants. It was an incredible finish against a really good goalkeeper. Without caring, you feel he can do these actions.”

The boss added: “He scored a fantastic goal. It depends on him [how good he can be]. When a player has this quality it depends on them. He is a player on another level.”

Guardiola faces the tricky task of convincing Silva that his future should be at the Etihad. The Portugal international has been unsettled for a few years now after failing to hold down a permanent spot in the team and has consistently been linked with a move to Spain, where Barcelona and Atletico Madrid have been tracking the situation.

However, after being benched for the opening game of the season, Silva has started City’s 13 Premier League games since and has only failed to complete 90 minutes twice.