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Manchester City midfielder David Silva has revealed that his baby boy Matteo is "fighting and getting better" after being born prematurely.

The Spanish star has travelled back and forth to Valencia to be with his family ever since the birth of his son in January and City are understood to be doing all they can to assist, with Pep Guardiola and the club allowing the playmaker time off away from first team duties.

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Guardiola had previously indicated that the player would take time off to head to Spain this week and will miss the team's warm-weather training trip to Dubai. But he will leave them in a very comfortable position atop the Premier League table, having scored a brace against Stoke City at the Bet365 Stadium on Monday to hand City a 2-0 win.

Speaking to Sky Sports (as quoted by the Mirror) after the match, the player claimed that playing football allows him to escape everything else and also revealed that his son was doing better. 

"I don't know! When I play football I forget about everything else, it is good for me to play," Silva said.

"My private life is very hard for me but my son is fighting and getting better."

Guardiola, meanwhile, empathised with the player ahead of the trip to Stoke but also highlighted the importance of staying fit even during such challenging periods.

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"He's just strong. We've said many times family is the most important thing," he declared.

"He wants to be here but sometimes he needs to go back and see his son – he's doing well – and his wife. But of course, he knows he has to train. At the beginning it was okay but it's a long time without training – you cannot play good."