Manchester City Boss Pep Guardiola Will Give Struggling Bernardo Silva Time to Settle in at Etihad

Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola has insisted that he is not looking to offload Bernardo Silva and that the midfielder will be given time to settle into Premier League life at the Etihad. 

The Portuguese international arrived from Monaco in the summer for £44m, having impressed in their Ligue 1 title-winning campaign as well as on international duty for Portugal, but has struggled for regular game-time having made just nine Premier League starts for the table-toppers. 

The league leaders, who have an abundance of gifted players, especially in midfield, are yet to see the best of the 23-year-old but the former Barcelona coach is urging for patience. 

“When he played he's played top," Guardiola claimed, as quoted by GOAL. 

“He's a young guy, he's a guy in the locker room who we are so happy to have here. He'll stay a long time, while I'm here he will not move on, he will stay with me.

“I haven't seen him sad, even for one day - always in a good mood, and you cannot imagine how important that is.

“When he didn't play too much, you cannot imagine how important he is in the locker room and he's this kind of guy, his mood is always in the right place.”

Despite limited playing time, Silva has still racked up five goals and the same amount of assists for the club. Amid a number of injuries, Guardiola has also opted to start the former Benfica player in City's last six fixtures - and he starred in the Citizens' 4-0 Champions League win over Basel.