BERNARDO SILVA TO LEAVE MANCHESTER CITY; LIJNDERS CONFIRMS "END OF THE STORY"
Bernardo Silva prepares for a Man City farewell. See the latest on Barcelona links and Elliot Anderson rumours.
Pep Lijnders, Manchester City’s assistant manager, dropped a pretty big hint that Bernardo Silva’s time at the club is wrapping up. After Saturday’s 4-0 win over Liverpool in the FA Cup quarter-final, Lijnders said, "Every good story comes to an end.” It sounds like Silva’s nine-year run at City is almost over.
Silva’s contract ends this season, and he hasn’t signed a new one. He’s being linked with Barcelona, Juventus, and even some American teams, so it feels like everyone’s expecting a move.
Lijnders was front and centre with Pep Guardiola banned from the touchline. He went on about how important Silva is to City, saying, “You never replace a player with the same kind of player because they don’t exist. Bernardo Silva is unique in the way he controls games, how he moves, receives the ball, leads the team, and finds solutions. All of that.”
Lijnders made it pretty clear: when Silva isn’t out there, City misses him. Sometimes, sometimes you notice it even after just one game. Imagine a whole season without him. But"Everyded, “every good story comes to an end,” and he hopes Silva enjoys his last few weeks and gets the proper send-off he deserves.
Silva joined City from Monaco back in 2017. Saturday’s match was his 450th appearance, and he’s racked up 18 trophies since he arrived. Guardiola’s always bfan; a huge fan, he’s picked Silva more than any other player in his career, and after Kevin De Bruyne left last season, Silva got handed the captain’s armband.
People are already speculating about who could come in next. City’s been linked with Nottingham Forest’s Elliot Anderson, but Lijnders pointed out that the club doesn’t look for like-for-like replacements. They focus on whaneeds: team needs someone who’ll fit right into the starting lineup. He also kept saying how much he values City’s Academy and the young talent breaking through.
He summed it up: the young academy players need to make the step up and grow into those midfield positions, but it’s vital to keep the senior guys around for stability. else, anything else, new signings or academy promotions, builds around that core.
HOW PEP GUARDIOLA’S ROTATION IS SABOTAGING PHIL FODEN’S 2026 WORLD CUP DREAMS
Thomas Tuchel admits Phil Foden is "struggling" and offers no guarantee for a World Cup spot after poor England form.
Phil Foden just hasn’t found his groove with the England squad lately. After friendlies against Uruguay and Japan, manager Thomas Tuchel pointed out that Foden isn’t in top shape, and it might cost him a World Cup spot.
Even at Manchester City, Foden’s spot in the starting lineup isn’t a sure thing anymore. Still, Tuchel picked him for the internationals and put him in the starting eleven both times. Instructions first, behind Doand's instructions, and Dominic Solanke for the Uruguay match, then behind Morgan Rogers when they faced Japan. But neither game saw Foden really come alive for England.
Tuchel didn’t hide his disappointment. “He tried everything,” he said. “He was outstanding in training, but once the game started, he just couldn’t bring that same energy to the pitch.”
Tuchel also mentioned that Foden just hasn’t been getting enough minutes at City. Even so, he arrived at the training camp in good spirits and looked sharp during the sessions. “I honestly thought he’d bring that spark into the games. But he’s struggling to show what he’s capable of.”
When reporters asked if he’d really take a player who isn’t playing much for his club, isn’t in form, and hasn’t been making an impact for England, Tuchel was upfront: “Yeah, I can take him. The question is whether we actually will. There’s no guarantee he’ll make the squad.”
Now, Foden has about two months to turn things around before Tuchel names England’s World Cup squad. “I’m always learning,” Tuchel said. “Every training session, I see how the team fits, how the players respond to times applied and instructions, how quickly they catch on. Instructions were followed time and time again, and then applied during matches.”
Everything’s still up for grabs. The priority now is for the players to finish strong with their clubs, then come back ready for England training camp. That’s when Tuchel and his team will make the final calls.
DISCOVER THE REGISTRATION RULE THAT BARRED MARC GUEHI FROM MAN CITY’S FINAL
Pep Guardiola criticises EFL rules after Marc Guehi is barred from the Carabao Cup final win over Arsenal.
Marc Guehi was bursting with pride watching his Manchester City teammates receive their Carabao Cup winners’ medals. Even though he couldn’t grab one for himself, he cheered them on.
The 25-year-old missed out at Wembley in City’s 2-0 win over Arsenal. It wasn’t because he was cup-tied, even though he’d played in this competition earlier in the season for Crystal Palace before joining City in January. If that was the rule, Antoine Semenyo, who also arrived in January, would have sat out too. But that wasn’t it. Guehi simply wasn’t registered with City before the first leg of their semi-final against Newcastle, so he wasn’t allowed to play.
Semenyo got lucky. The city signed and registered him in time, so he was eligible for the showdown with Newcastle and beyond.
So, Guehi had to watch the final from the sidelines while City chased their ninth League Cup success. You could tell from his social media that he was heartbroken not to be out there. He posted a slow-mo video of the team lifting the cup at Wembley and wrote, “What a team and performance. So proud of the boys.”
Before the final, Pep Guardiola didn’t hide his irritation about Guehi’s absence. At his press conference, he said, “Hopefully we can convince the Carabao Cup (EFL) that Marc can play the final. I don’t understand why he can’t. Maybe we should write a letter. You buy a player for a lot of money, and he can’t play because of a rule I don’t get. Hopefully, they will change it. It’s hard to understand.”
So City relied on Abdukodir Khusanov and Nathan Ake at the back. Both the Uzbek and Dutch defenders were rock solid against Arsenal.
Nico O’Reilly stole the show with a pair of fantastic goals, charging forward from left-back. After the win, Guardiola was glowing: “For James [Trafford] it was his first final. Khusanov’s only been here one year; Nico O’Reilly has impressed me in his first full season, and Antoine [Semenyo] played his first final. Lots of players are having a good first taste – that’s what we need. Shows us we can do it.
“We’re much better than last season, but not quite the team we want to be yet. That takes time. Hopefully by next season or the end of this one we’ll get there.”
