Jack Grealish will be great at Manchester City, despite his slow start to life at the club, according to a teammate who knows just how difficult it can be to integrate into Pep Guardiola's system.
Grealish has just one assist to his name this season after a debut campaign of mixed fortunes as he got to grips with Guardiola's playing style. His performances have been much improved this season, but the goals and assists are still to flow, and Bernardo Silva has now insisted that Grealish will come good.
Bernardo himself took some time to adapt after moving from Monaco, and is now one of City's most important players. Last week, Grealish went as far to say that Bernardo has 'changed his perception' on football, such is his ability on the ball.
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Grealish said: "One of the best players I've played with - and he's changed the way I see football - is Bernardo. Out of everyone I've played with he is probably the best.
"He doesn't get a proper lot of goals and assists - he has got a few this season from passing it to someone and he is putting it in the top bin. The way his brain works is crazy, he will go and get the ball off the keeper and dribble with it from the six-yard box."
Now, Bernardo has repaid the compliment, backing his teammate to thrive at City and build on his impressive performances this season.
"The first season [at City] is not very easy. It wasn't easy for me when I arrived. I didn't play much," Bernardo said.
"People that play in other clubs think 'if one day I play for Man City I will score 20 goals and 20 assists' but it doesn't work like that. Jack, in the way he works for the team, in the way he attracts players to him and then creates spaces for other players, he has been helping us a lot.
"He's improving and I think he is going to be great for Man City the next few years."
Bernardo also lifted the lid on the messages he has been sending to Grealish during the World Cup between the rival England and Portugal camps - as well as a light-hearted wager with City and Portugal teammate Ruben Dias over how many fouls Grealish would get during England's last-16 win over Senegal.
He said: "I love Jack as well, he is a great guy. I keep sending messages to Jack. The other game when he was brought on, I was filming Ruben and I was asking 'how many fouls do you think Jack Grealish is going to win in these 25 minutes?' Ruben said nine and I said seven, I was closer as he didn't win that much."
And despite the friendships between the City players, Bernardo added that he would not relish coming up against his five Blues teammates who are in the England squad, should the Three Lions meet Portugal in a potential World Cup semi-final.
"I am very happy for Jack and for Phil Foden and for all the Man City players, they have been doing quite well for England," he said. "I wish the Man City lads all the best but I honestly don't want to play against them."
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