Bernardo Silva admits he used to think £35m Liverpool player was a 'nightmare' to play against

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Bernardo Silva has been a thorn in Liverpool’s side for years, and there is no point pretending otherwise. The Manchester City midfielder has been one of the defining Premier League players of the modern era, a clever, relentless footballer who has played a huge role in dragging titles away from Anfield and keeping Pep Guardiola’s side on top.Players like Silva demand respect because they have been there, done it, and hurt Liverpool more than once.

For all the quality he has shown over the years, there was one Liverpool player who clearly got under his skin more than most, and that was Sadio Mane.Sadio Mane was a nightmare for Bernardo Silva in the Citypool daysThat admission from Silva matters because it backs up what Liverpool supporters saw for years in those title battles. Mane was not simply one of Klopp’s match-winners; he was one of the players who made life genuinely miserable for Manchester City when the games became tight and frantic.Silva framed it well, speaking on The Official Man City Podcast: “I think they were a very different style of play, but in a way they were very similar to us because we obviously had our Kevin De Bruyne’s and David Silva’s and whoever.

And they had the Mo Salah’s and Mane’s, but it was a very collective side as well.”That is the important part. He dragged Liverpool up the pitch, turned defending into chaos for the opposition and brought the kind of aggression that made those City games feel like a war every time.As Liverpool look for wingers to sign, they would do well to find a player half what Mane was at his peak.