Sad news from Manchester: Pep's assistant announces Bernardo's departure

The past weekend brought one good and one bad piece of news for the Manchester City fans: their lads thrashed Liverpool 4-0 and advanced to the FA Cup semi-finals, where they'll face second-tier side Southampton, and they found out their captain would definitely leave the club in a few months.

Speaking in the press conference after the match against the Reds, Pep Guardiola's assistant coach, Pep Lijnders, revealed that once Bernardo Silva's contract expires next July, he won't be a part of the Cityzens' ranks anymore.

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The Dutchman stated that "every good story comes to an end" and claimed that the Portuguese is almost impossible to replace.

"You never replace a player with the same kind of player, because they don't exist. Bernardo Silva is unique. 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. But it will be hard, because as I said, in the game, when he's not playing, you will see how he's missed. And that's one game. Imagine a season?"

"But every good story comes to an end. I hope he enjoys the last months, it is only six weeks, and he has a good farewell and he deserves all that attention as well," Lijnders said via Sky Sports, replacing Guardiola, who was serving a suspension.

And it will undoubtedly be the end of an era at Etihad Stadium, as Bernardo's name has been linked to all the major Man City successes.

He joined the Cityzens in 2017 from Monaco for €50 million. In the nine years he spent in Manchester, he won 19 trophies, including six Premier League titles and the 2023 UEFA Champions League. And he'll have a chance to further improve the number, as his team is still in contention for the FA Cup and Premier League silverware.

During his lengthy stint with City, he made 450 appearances, recording 76 goals and 77 assists. His impact on the pitch was immense, as he was Guardiola's key player during his entire spell in the sky blue jersey.

At the beginning of the current campaign, Silva was named the team captain following Kyle Walker's departure.

In a few months, somebody else will have to take the armband, because Bernardo will have said his farewell.