Don Hutchison has claimed that if Bernardo Silva were to leave Manchester City, the club should sign one player to replace him.
If Bernardo Silva does decide to bid farewell to English football one day, Manchester City will struggle to find players to replace him — whether that is this summer or in the future.
Such is the £43 million man’s importance to this City team, especially due to his versatility as a player.
Don Hutchison recommends Man City to sign 26-year-old if Bernardo Silva leaves
It seems like Don Hutchison mainly views Manchester City technician Bernardo Silva as a right-winger, as he feels Nicolas Gonzalez would be the ideal replacement for him if he left the club.
Hutchison said via TNT Sports’ official website: “Nicolas Gonzalez is a player that can go on to unbelievably high levels.”
“If Bernardo Silva was ever to knock on Pep Guardiola’s door and think it is time for me to move on, I think he should be seriously looking at Gonzalez.”
“He will be huge, we just looked at some of the numbers there in terms of their goals in the Conference League, they top the possession charts, that’s their style.”
Don Hutchison explained how Fiorentina’s Nicolas Gonzalez and Bernardo Silva are similar players.
“He is very similar to Silva. Silva has more consistency in his game, but when you look at talent.”
“He plays off the right-hand side, he is a left-footed player, he is very good in the air.”
“He is quite light, very skilful, a high-level football IQ, but he is brilliant in the air.”
“He gets in and he scores important goals but he is a very intelligent player.
Hutchison added: “I think that is what [Vincenzo] Italiano likes, the majority of his teams are filled with players with high football IQ.”
“He is a player that I think will go on to really high levels, he is a brilliant player to watch.”
“Consistency is where he needs to get to but in terms of talent and watching him play, he is a fantastic player to watch.”
The Argentine winger registered 11 goals and two assists for Fiorentina during the 2023/2024 Serie A season.
Gonzalez started just 20 games for the Italian giants due to suffering a hamstring injury that kept him out for several games.
Nicolas Gonzalez would not be the best Bernardo Silva replacement
If Manchester City agreed with Don Hutchison and signed Nicolas Gonzalez as a replacement for Bernardo Silva, that would not make for the best succession plan, in our view.
The former VfB Stuttgart forward is primarily a right-winger while the same cannot be said about the Portuguese international.
The ideal profile of player for City to replace Bernardo Silva one day will be able to play in midfield and on the wing at a high standard.
At the very least, the player in question must be able to play at a reliable level in their unfamiliar position out of the two at least.
Bernardo Silva’s tactical flexibility has made him one of Pep Guardiola’s most trusted players over the years — a feature that his future successor at City should have.