Man City assistant manager Pep Lijnders has spoken about what the future holds for Bernardo Silva as he approaches the end of his contract
22:30, 05 Apr 2026Updated 22:38, 05 Apr 2026
Bernardo Silva is set to leave Manchester City(Image: Simon Stacpoole/Offside/Offside via Getty Images)
Bernardo Silva will leave Manchester City at the end of his contract this summer, assistant manager Pep Lijnders has confirmed. It will bring an end to a nine-year stint at the Etihad Stadium.
Silva confirmed back in October that he had made a decision over his future, but in his eyes it wasn’t the right time for announcements to be made. While there have been no official statements from the club or player, Lijnders’ comments have all-but-confirmed that he will be leaving.
The midfielder wore the captain’s armband and played the full 90 minutes of City’s impressive 4-0 FA Cup quarter-final victory over Liverpool on Saturday. He will look to help the club past Southampton in the semi-final of the competition later this month.
Speaking about Silva after the match, Lijnders said: “You never replace a player with the same kind of player because they don’t exist. Bernardo Silva is unique.
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“The way he controls games, the way he moves, the way he receives, the way he leads, the way he sees the solutions. All these things.
“You never search for a replacement of one type of player. You search for what is needed to grow with the team and somebody who can fit in the first XI.
“And then you hope, with our academy, with the young players we already bought that they can make that step as well in the midfield positions.
“If you see our young boys in the academy, then they have to make that step and to grow. But the most important is that the seniors who stay for a long time, that they stay, that they stay, that they stay. That they are always there and, around that, you can move.
Bernardo Silva has been a key player for Man City over the last nine seasons(Image: Shaun Brooks – CameraSport via Getty Images)
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“But it will be hard because, as I said, in the game, when he is not playing you will see how he is missed and that’s one game. Imagine a season.
“But every good story comes to an end, and I hope he enjoys the last months – there are only six weeks – and has a good farewell. He deserves all that attention as well.”
Academy graduate Nico O’Reilly is already being talked about as a potential replacement in the squad. The 21-year-old played at left-back against Liverpool, but is also able to play in the middle.
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The youngster was the hero in last month’s Carabao Cup final victory against Arsenal by scoring both goals in a 2-0 victory over Mikel Arteta’s side.
Barring a late change of heart, as it stands, Silva will leave City in the summer having been part of one Champions League victory, six Premier League titles, two FA Cups and five League Cups. There is the possibility of him still adding one more FA Cup and Premier League title before his exit.
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