Is Silva irreplaceable?
[Getty Images] Bernardo Silva's contract expires at the end of the season and there is no clear indication as to whether he will stay or leave. In September, he said he knows "exactly" what he is going to do when his deal comes to an end, without actually revealing what that is. He has not yet signed an extension and has been linked with the likes of La Liga leaders Barcelona, Serie A side Juventus and clubs in America.
City are understood to be interested in signing Nottingham Forest midfielder Elliot Anderson in the summer, a move that may well transpire whether Silva leaves or not. But how do City go about replacing a player like Silva with this chapter in his career possibly about to close? "You don't replace him, he is in many ways irreplaceable," said former City winger Shaun Wright-Phillips.
"He doesn't have a position, he is everywhere. " Ex-City women's captain Steph Houghton added: "There is nobody that can do what he does. With Bernardo, he is a different kind of leader to Kompany or Fernandinho.
"A lot of it is through performances and about him leading the boys in doing certain things, you can't fault his effort every single time he pulls on a Manchester City shirt. "No matter where he is playing, he gives absolutely everything. "