BBC Sport pundit Garth Crooks has heaped praise onto Manchester City attacking midfielder Bernardo Silva after giving him a place in his Premier League team of the season.
The Portugal international has really grown into one of Pep Guardiola’s most important players since he joined the club from Monaco last season.
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Having initially struggled to get into the starting line up week in, week out, Silva is now a key member of this dominant City side, who yesterday retained their Premier League crown with a 4-1 final-day win over Brighton.
While this City squad is full of big names like Sergio Aguero, Raheem Sterling and Kevin De Bruyne, Crooks feels Silva is something of an unsung hero in Guardiola’s team.
Hailing his improvement this term, Crooks described Silva as an ‘inspiration’ in his BBC column, and praised him for producing so much without hogging the limelight.
‘The departure of Yaya Toure and injuries to Kevin de Bruyne have created a space for someone else to shine and that person has been Bernardo Silva,’ Crooks said.
‘The Portugal international has been an inspiration for Manchester City this season while never insisting on hogging the limelight when City have a full complement of players available.
‘It takes a special individual who is prepared to fit in regardless of the cost to his own performance. That makes him a real star in my book.’
City and Silva can still add to their trophy haul this season as they prepare for an FA Cup final clash with Watford this weekend, with the club aiming for a domestic treble after also winning the Premier League title and Carabao Cup this season.