Bernardo Silva has confirmed he’ll remain at Manchester City for the season ahead, putting speculation about his future to bed after being named club captain by Pep Guardiola.
The midfielder, now into the final 12 months of his contract, had been linked with a move elsewhere. Interest was there, as it has been in previous years. But this time, again, he’s staying.
“I’ve had chances before, including this year,” he said. “But like last season, I’ve chosen to stay. I know what’s next for me, but now isn’t the moment to go into it. My focus is on City and doing my job properly.”
His comments came on the eve of City’s Club World Cup match against Wydad AC.
Silva steps into the captaincy after Kevin De Bruyne’s departure this summer. It’s a quiet passing of the torch, but a significant one. Bernardo joined City in 2017. This is now his ninth campaign in sky blue. He has seen the dressing room change, the system evolve, the trophies stack up. He’s earned the armband.
He’s also clear-eyed about what comes next. Reflecting on last season, he said the squad had looked hard at themselves and weren’t about to ignore what needed fixing.
“We had a lot of conversations as a group about how things went,” he said. “There were tough moments. We’ve learned from them. The key now is not to forget them. We know what needs correcting.”