Man City have discovered Bernardo Silva replacement after beating Chel | Football | Sport
It looks like the cloud about to hang over Manchester City with the departure of a club legend, has a Silva lining after all. The FA Cup final win over Chelsea proved that. And there is no bigger compliment that can be paid to Nico O’Reilly, than suggesting he can ensure Bernardo Silva will not be missed. He will of course. Because the Portuguese has been one of the greatest footballers of his generation.
He has been one of Pep Guardiola‘s lieutenants throughout the most golden period of the club’s history. One of the pivotal figures in a team which won a quadruple of titles, the holy grail of a Treble and once reached 100 points in a single season. No player has made appearances for the Spaniard during is managerial career than Silva. And he has duly helped himself to a serious haul of silver during his glorious time at the Etihad.
And City’s thoughts will now turn to who will be handed the nigh-on impossible task of filling the bloke’s boots. All good things come to an end. But this particular one doesn’t have to.
Because somehow Guardiola has unearthed and nurtured a talent found right on the club’s doorstep. Which is ironic, considering Guardiola has lavished mind-boggling sums of cash on signing superstars from all corners of the globe. O’Reilly is Manchester born and bred.
Like former team-mate Cole Palmer, who O’Reilly kept in his pocket during Saturday’s FA Cup final. And boy, has this local lad done good. O’Reilly is the best young footballer in the Premier League. The argument is not even up for debate.
So much so that he won’t just be on the plane to the World Cup with England in North America next month, he will start the opening group game against Croatia. Because O’Reilly has that precious gift of being able to produce his best, the bigger the occasion happens to be.
He scored in a Champions League win at Real Madrid. He scored both goals in City’s 2-0 Carabao Cup final triumph over Arsenal, and was man-of-the-match in City’s triumph at the Emirates in the league game in March.
And here was, back at Wembley strutting his stuff in front of the watching world, including England manager Thomas Tuchel. O’Reilly has become Guardiola’s pet project. The Spaniard has transformed someone who grew up as an attacking midfielder, into a left back.
A swashbuckling one at that. In defence, O’Reilly didn’t put a foot wrong. He took the ball off Malo Gusto at times, like a grown up stealing sweets from a kid. But there is much more to his game than stopping goals.
He creates and scores them, too, as a result of his relentless appetite for marauding forward. He found himself on the Chelsea dead-ball line inside 10 minutes, winning a corner He picked out Semenyo with a teasing cross, which the Ghanian headed over the top, not long before going on to score the winning goal.
O’Reilly even popped up on the right-hand side before half-time, to intercept a dangerous-looking ball from Palmer. It seems like there is nothing he can’t do. Because he looks like a seasoned pro, despite only turning 21 a few weeks ago.
Which is always a sign of someone special. What O’Reilly might go on to achieve is almost unfathomable. But in the meantime, City can say goodbye to Silva safe in the knowledge the team’s future is in good hands. Thanks to the tattoo-loving O’Reilly, who is making a serious mark in English football.
