Garth Crooks has said that in his opinion, Bernardo Silva has managed to replace Kevin De Bruyne in this Manchester City side.
In his Premier League Team of the Week for BBC Sport, the outspoken pundit opted for the £43 million (Sky Sports) man.
Now, Garth Crooks has said that Bernardo Silva has stepped up in the absence of the injured Kevin De Bruyne.
Garth Crooks says Bernardo Silva has successfully replaced Kevin De Bruyne
Branded as ‘irreplaceable’ by Pep Guardiola, the 29-year-old stole the show in the Manchester Derby, grabbing an assist for Erling Haaland’s second goal on the day.
But the manner in which the Portuguese international ran proceedings from both a left-wing position and in midfield was a joy to watch.
So much so that Garth Crooks believes that Bernardo Silva has managed to replace Kevin De Bruyne for the time being.
“He was at the heart of Manchester City’s third goal at Old Trafford on Sunday and performed a demolition job on Manchester United”, he said.
“Kevin De Bruyne, who is arguably their best player, hasn’t been available for some time because of injury but that doesn’t seem to have bothered Silva in the slightest. The Portugal international was immense against United, who were well and truly beaten on the day.”
Bernardo Silva is ace but the Belgian has been replaced in the aggregate
While the ex-AS Monaco technician is deserving of the praise Garth Crooks gave him, it would be inaccurate to say that he has replaced Kevin De Bruyne.
Being the once-in-a-lifetime midfielder that he is, it is virtually impossible for any single player to replicate the Belgian’s impact.
What Pep Guardiola has done to make up for the 32-year-old’s absence has been replacing him in the aggregate.
Julian Alvarez has in terms of being a ball-striker of a similar ilk, Phil Foden has through his creativity and Rodri has through his ball-carrying in some capacity, which is why his injury has not completely derailed the treble-winners.
