Manchester City made a big announcement during the latest international break.
Initially, David Ornstein reported that Txiki Begiristain will be leaving City at the end of the season, bringing an end to what will be a 13-year spell as the club’s sporting director.
In fact, it was then claimed that Begiristain had made the decision to leave City last year after choosing to carry on his role five years ago.
City then announced in a post on their official website that Hugo Viana will be replacing Begiristain after six years at Sporting CP.
The statement said that the 41-year-old will officially start his new role at the Etihad Stadium in the summer after collaborating with Begiristain in the preceding months to “ensure a smooth transition.”
With numerous figures from City’s first team squad having been in action for their countries during the recent international break, one, in particular, has become the first to share their thoughts on Viana’s appointment.
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Speaking to Portuguese media outlet Record (via Sport Witness), Bernardo Silva said this when asked about City’s appointment of Viana.
He said: “I don’t know him personally, but being Portuguese it will be positive for us.”
Which players has Viana signed for Sporting?
After bringing an end to his playing career, which saw him represent clubs such as Sporting, Braga, Valencia and Newcastle United, Viana had a short spell as Belenenses’ sporting director before being appointed at Sporting back in September 2018.
During his time as Sporting’s director of football, Viana has been involved in deals that have seen the Portuguese club sign players such as Viktor Gyokeres, Morten Hjulmand, Ousmane Diomande and Manuel Ugarte to name a few.
Now that Silva has shared his positive early reaction to City’s appointment of Viana due to his Portuguese connection, everyone at the Manchester club will be hoping the 41-year-old can go on to be as successful with the Blues as Begiristain has been.
