Rio Ferdinand names David Silva's natural successor at Man City

Rio Ferdinand believes Manchester City have found their successor to David Silva, and can build their teams around Bernardo Silva for years to come.

The versatile midfielder has been in sparkling form this season, and was once again at the top of his game as City all-but secured their place in the Champions League quarter-finals with a 5-0 win over Sporting Lisbon on Tuesday.

It’s been quite the turnaround for Bernardo, who looked as though he could have been heading for the exit door in the summer.

He has stepped up to the mantle left by iconic City great David Silva in 2020 though, and shown himself to be one of the club's most valuable assets, with his transformation helping Pep Guardiola’s side dominate once again this season.

“Silva, he can play multiple positions — he came in as a wide player playing right-wing a lot of the time in his first season,” former Manchester United defender Ferdinand told BT Sport.

We want your views, Blues. You can become even more involved with our Man City coverage by signing up. This will unlock a whole host of things - including joining the comments and taking part in our special Q&As, where you can speak directly to our reporters about what’s happening at the Etihad Stadium this week and beyond.

Click here to get started.

“He evolved and took over the David Silva role. Now, he’s dominating games.

“In tight areas he’s magnificent. Scoring goals, he’s got double the amount he had last season. And they were trying to throw him in the Spurs deal with Kane, that was the rumours.

“I think he’s a guy that they’re going to build around for years to come — he’s a fabulous player.”

On exactly what Bernardo brings to the table, Ferdinand added: “The versatility. Don’t underestimate