Photo source: Getty Images. Nine hours earlier. Deux cent quatre vingt-quatre commentaires Pep Lijnders, assistant manager of Manchester City, has suggested that midfielder Bernardo Silva’s nine-year tenure at the club will conclude this summer, noting that “every good story comes to an end.” The 31-year-old’s contract runs out at the season’s end. He hasn’t signed an extension yet and has been linked to La Liga leaders Barcelona, Serie A club Juventus, and teams in America. Lijnders spoke to the media after Saturday’s 4-0 FA Cup quarter-final victory over Liverpool, with manager Pep Guardiola sidelined by a touchline ban, and discussed the Portuguese international’s vital role at City. “You can’t replace a player with someone exactly like them because no such player exists,” he said. “Bernardo Silva is one of a kind.” His command of matches, his movement, his ball reception, his leadership, his vision for solutions. All these things… “But it will be hard because, as I said, in the game, when he’s not playing, you’ll see how much he’s missed—and that’s just one game.” Picture a season… “But every good story must end, and I hope he savors the final months—only six weeks remain—and gets a proper send-off. He deserves all that spotlight too.”
