David Silva has admitted that every day gets tougher – but he still has a lot to contribute to Manchester City.
The 33-year-old Spaniard was told at the start of the season that he would not play as many games as he did in his brilliant 2017-18 campaign.
And he has been rested at key moments, with Bernardo Silva and Ilkay Gundogan benefiting from his spells out of the side.
Silva has a contract until the summer of 2020, and using him a little more sparingly is intended to eke out as many games as possible from his ageing frame.
And it seems to be working. Silva said: “I feel good, to be honest.
“I feel good and I know every day it gets tougher because there's a lot of games and a high level.
“But I feel fine. I have to take more care, but that's what I'm doing and I'm feeling good.”
Of course, Silva's vast experience is another factor in wanting him involved – with Bernardo Silva and Phil Foden both earmarked to step up when his time at City does come to an end.
“When the youngsters that are coming through need advice, when they need to be there, the more experienced players try to be there for them, said Silva.
"I do that because when I was young I also liked to be helped by the most experienced ones.”
Silva may find himself on the bench for the Carabao Cup final against Chelsea at Wembley on Sunday, with Gundogan having been impressive recently.
But Silva is relishing the chance of winning his fourth winner's medal in the competition.
“It's another chance to win a title,” he said. “And it's always beautiful to play a final at Wembley, for our fans as well.
“Hopefully, we can win it. A final is always difficult, whether you play Chelsea or any other team.
“It'll be tough. They have a lot of quality players up front, so we should take care.”