Bernardo Silva: Manchester City new Portugal star who snubbed United to sign from Monaco
Here's why Jose Mourinho's loss should be Pep Guardiola's gain as City swoop to sign Bernardo Silva
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BERNARDO SILVA has put speculation over his future to bed by moving to Manchester City.
United were thought to be in pole position for the Portuguese starlet after he flew into Manchester looking to thrash out a deal with one of the city's sides.
But in a situation quite the reverse of United's signing of Dimitar Berbatov five years ago, it was City who picked him up at the airport to complete the deal.
Who is Bernardo Silva and which clubs has he played for?
Silva is a 22-year-old who came through the ranks at Benfica, in his home city of Lisbon.
He made his debut for the Eagles aged 19 in his only appearance in the 2013-14 season, before moving on loan to Monaco the following campaign.
The diminutive ace scored ten goals in 45 games over the course of 2014-15, doing enough by the half-way point to convince the French side to shell out around £14million to make his move permanent.
Silva has been a fixture in the Monaco team over the last three seasons, chipping in with a steady flow of goals along the way.
He was a regular at under-19 and under-21 level for his country, making his full debut in 2015.
Portugal boss left him out of his Euro 2016 squad, but it drew little criticism by the end of the tournament after they went on to lift the trophy by beating hosts France.
What is Bernardo Silva’s style of play?
He is a playmaker best utilised in an advanced role.
At just five-foot-eight-inches tall and with a slender build, Silva is not going to be of much use defending set-pieces.
But his array of skills and dribbling ability make him a formidable asset in attack.
Silva's quick feet and a short stride are reminiscent of Lionel Messi, especially given his left foot is his strongest.
