Dias on City teammate Silva: If you want to win trophies, you need this kind of player

Ruben Dias hopes Bernardo Silva will stay at Manchester City beyond this summer, praising the intelligence of his teammate as well as his versatility.

Midfielder Silva has been the subject of repeated bids and speculation for the past three summer transfer windows but remains at the club he joined from Monaco in 2017.

Dias, 26, has a special bond with Silva, as part of both City's success as well as with their national team Portugal

The defender hopes that history doesn’t repeat itself again this summer and that Silva will remain at City for the long term – Silva signed a contract extension to 2026 last September – where he is on course to cement his place as one of the club's greatest of the modern era.

“At a certain moment last summer I thought he might go but I always tell him that every summer we have this series which is called ‘Bernardo is going nowhere’,” Dias told The National.

“This is the third summer since I have been here and there is a new episode every year. I was really happy when he signed because if you want to win trophies Bernardo is exactly the kind of player you need around you.

“It’s unfair for me to say how good he is because I am his fellow Portuguese and we have a special connection. But that aside he is a key player for us because, first of all, how intelligent he is.

“Due to his personality and the fact that he is so funny people might think one thing or another about him but when times get rough he is always there. You can count on him. He has great qualities. He can play in so many different positions. He can remedy so many problems a team might have.

“He is a big personality in the dressing room. He has been a big footballer for a very long time. Sometimes people forget about that. The