Pep Guardiola hands Bernardo Silva fitness update as Manchester City’s Champions League hopes hang by a thread | OneFootball

Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola has provided an update on the injury Bernardo Silva sustained in a 2-2 draw with Brighton and Hove Albion on Saturday.

City’s top-four hopes take another hit as Brighton fought back twice from behind after goals from Erling Haaland and Omar Marmoush to share the spoils at the Etihad Stadium.

However, Guardiola’s biggest worry from the game came when Bernardo Silva had to be taken off for Phil Foden 18 minutes after he replaced Savinho at the start of the second half.

Silva appeared to signal his frustrations at the substitution as he flung his arms in the air as if to suggest that he felt good enough to carry on, but Guardiola decided against risking the 30-year-old from picking up a more serious injury and taking him off.

Asked why he decided to take Silva off in the immediate aftermath of the game, Guardiola said: “I don’t know I didn’t speak to the doctors. Bernardo is so strong. He’s incredibly strong and an incredible lad and I was watching him for five minutes he couldn’t make two steps properly.

“In that moment I decided not to take a risk. Hopefully it will be a knock and in two weeks, he can recover. Hopefully it will be that. But I didn’t have time yet to talk to the doctors.”

The finer details and full extent of Silva’s injury is yet to be known as Manchester City await a FA Cup quarter-final tie against Bournemouth at the end of the month when they return from international duty.

Manchester City have nine Premier League games remaining in their bid to qualify for next season’s UEFA Champions League, as they currently sit in fifth place in the table.

The Blues need all the help they can get to get over the line and end a disappointing season by their standards on a high by finishing in the Premier League top four and winning an eighth FA Cup title.

Guardiola will be wary of any further injuries as more fitness issues are the last thing City need when they’re already missing several key names in central defence as well as Ballon d’Or winner Rodri, who alongside alongside Oscar Bobb, is nearing a return to first-team action having recovered from an ACL injury.