One good thing about many of the players at Manchester City is that they are versatile.
There has been a big emphasis on getting players into the football club who can operate comfortably in multiple different positions.
Pep Guardiola loves nothing more than players who can give him different options. He likes them to be hardworking, but also to be able to shine in different areas of the pitch.
Arguably, they don’t come more versatile at City than Bernardo Silva, who has operated in pretty much every position apart from centre-back and goalkeeper since his arrival at the club in 2017.
But in recent times, Bernardo has operated a lot on the right wing.
However, this could now become a thing of the past because of two players at the club.
Bernardo Silva could now play the bulk of his games centrally for Man City in 2024/25
So far this summer, City have been very quiet in the transfer market.
There does not appear to be a big clamour to bring in new faces, with Pep playing down an influx of signings during pre-season.
Seemingly, he is fairly happy with the depth he has at the moment.
But the club have brought in one player, and that was Savinho for around £33 million a couple of weeks ago.
Savinho is predominantly a right winger, although he played a lot of the left last season. But this is potentially quite interesting for Bernardo.
And it is also worth noting how good Oscar Bobb has been in pre-season so far, with the Norwegian looking like he has really stepped up his game.
Bobb is another versatile player who can play anywhere in the attack, but he has looked superb on that right side. Pep said of the youngster recently that he was ‘electric’, and it’s clear the manager has been impressed. He could well be in line for a lot more game time in this coming season.
So between Savinho signing and the early pre-season form of Bobb, we might just be seeing £43 million star Bernardo playing in the middle more in 2024/25. This is a position we did see him in sometimes last term.
It has not been uncommon to see Bernardo cropping up in central areas alongside Rodri. But in the coming season, we could be seeing it a lot more, especially if Kevin De Bruyne is rotated more.
Central roles suit Bernardo better
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It can be argued that Bernardo actually looks better playing in the middle for City these days.
He can obviously do a good job out on the right. But sometimes there is a call for pace, which the Portuguese definitely doesn’t have.
And by getting Bernardo into the middle, you get to take advantage of his tenacity and doggedness. As technical as he is, he is also great defensively.
It will be fascinating to see where the bulk of his minutes come in 2024/25, but it would now be a real surprise if Pep did continue to play him on that right side with options like Savinho and Bobb at his disposal.
Certainly, if City do not sign Bruno Guimaraes, then Bernardo will surely be in line for a regular central role.
