Guardiola salutes ‘amazing’ Silva ahead of milestone

Man City manager Pep Guardiola has revealed his admiration for David Silva ahead of the Spanish midfielder’s milestone of 300 Premier League appearances, Manchester Evening Standard reports.

Silva has been a high-level constant in City’s first team this season, having scored on 11 occasions and assisted in another eight in 53 matches in all competitions.

His quality has been unquestionable since his arrival in Manchester in 2011, but individual accolades have somehow escaped him – something which Guardiola finds hard to grasp.

“So, he’s fantastic, fantastic. Amazing, fantastic.” He said. “I know he’s never been nominated as one of the best three players in the league here – and only nominated once for player of the month.

“I’m a little bit surprised about that because he’s an outstanding player. You cannot imagine how good he is.

“He’s a top player. I’m happy to enjoy him as a manager.”

The 31-year-old’s contract with Manchester City is set to expire in the summer of 2019, and Guardiola believes it’s down to the player taking care to stay injury free if he is to add a few more years of playing time at the Etihad.

He said: “We don’t need to discuss his quality. We don’t discuss how professional and how ambitious he is. It’s just about his age, the injuries, the levels he played at.

“Last season for example he had an injury but this year he has been completely fit. There are no doubts about him.”