Bernardo Silva: You can’t turn down Pep – the best players want to work with him

The Portuguese schemer sealed a £43 million move to the Etihad Stadium this summer after playing a key role in Monaco’s first Ligue 1 title triumph in 17 years, scoring eight league goals and registering nine assists for Les Monegasques.

Silva also helped the 2004 Champions League finalists reach the semi-finals of last season’s competition – knocking out City along the way – and he explains that the chance to work with a coach as revered as Guardiola was just too good to resist.

Speaking exclusively in the October 2017 issue of FourFourTwo magazine – out now – the 23-year-old says: “He’s the best manager in the world. He has managed Barcelona, Bayern Munich and now Manchester City. The best players in the world want to work with him, and if a player has the chance to be managed by the best coach, you can’t turn him down.”

Portugal international Silva was a second-half substitute in the Blues' opening two Premier League games against Brighton and Everton before starting in the win at Bournemouth, and says he is already improving his game under Pep’s guidance.

“You can see the way his teams control the game,” he says. “The way that they press, the way they attack and the way they hammer teams. He’s got that vision.

“I've only had a couple of weeks with him in training but it’s been great – I’ve learned so much from him already. He gives the players so much information. We go out onto the pitch knowing exactly what he wants us to do in every situation, and that gives you a lot of confidence. He’s so detailed and analytical in everything that he does – it’s amazing.”

Read the full interview with Bernardo Silva in the October 2017 issue of FourFourTwo magazine. A new signings special, we also chat to Davy Klaassen about his switch to Everton and look at how Romelu Lukaku, Alexandre Lacazette, Alvaro Morata and Mohamed Salah will fare following their big-money moves to the Premier League. Plus, we reveal the 25 greatest Champions League games ever, meet the FA Cup’s youngest manager who set up a football club following the London riots, recall Derby’s disastrous 2007/08 campaign, go One-on-One with Luis Garcia, learn about the science behind team chemistry and – in the first of a new interview format – hear the incredible story of Rochdale midfielder Joe Thompson, who has battled back from cancer twice. Order a copy today here, and then become a subscriber!