Bernardo Silva admits he misses former team-mate Julian Alvarez after Manchester City reluctantly let him go.
Alvarez, 25, was sold to Atletico Madrid for £81million in the summer after two seasons with the Etihad club. Having helped City win two Premier League titles and a Treble, the Argentine forward was often shifted out wide, benched or used in a deeper role by Pep Guardiola to accommodate Erling Haaland.
He signed for Diego Simeone’s Atletico in search of more minutes, leaving City to rue his exit. Guardiola’s side have since lacked their typical spark in forward areas all season and have had to splurge to bring in players such as Savinho and Omar Marmoush to bolster their front line.
And even City’s veteran attacking-midfielder, Silva, has come out and admitted just how much of a void Alvarez’s departure has left this season, both in terms of his ability and his personality in the dressing room.
Silva said of the 2022 World Cup winner: “I miss him a lot because he is an exceptional team-mate and I am very fond of him. I am very happy that he is doing well. He is a wonderful guy, and he deserves everything.
“Whenever I see Julián score a goal, I'm very happy for him; he's doing very well. Atlético de Madrid is having a very good season. I am very happy for him.”
Alvarez registered an impressive 36 goals and 18 assists in 103 appearances for City. His impact was such that manager Guardiola admitted his sale might come back to haunt him, referring to it as a potential "mistake".
Ahead of the trip to West Ham back in late August, the Catalan tactician said: “I'm happy with the squad. We didn't expect Julian was leaving, although he had conversations a long time ago with other clubs and his agent, so it could happen and in the end it happened.
“We saw what we have, if we have many, many injuries it will be a problem, but in a few months Oscar Bobb will be back and Phil [Foden] is in that position, [James] McAtee can play in that position, [Ilkay] Gundogan can play in that position, Bernardo [Silva]…
“They are different players to Erling of course. Maybe it is a mistake, I don't know but I don't like leaving players without playing for a long time. When everyone is involved with a chance to play, the performance of the teams is always better.”
Alvarez is not the only attacking talent City have ended up really regretting letting go in recent times, as Cole Palmer similarly has shone away from the Etihad since switching to Chelsea.
After a slow start to the season, Alvarez has been especially effective in the Champions League for Atletico. Six of his 16 goals have come in Europe, while he has also managed three assists in all competitions as Atletico closed the gap to one point on La Liga leaders Real Madrid at the weekend.