Alan Shearer admits he was wrong about Man City’s “pointless signings”
Former England international Alan Shearer has conceded he was wrong about the “pointless signings” of Bernardo Silva and Kevin De Bruyne by Manchester City.
The 48-year-old previously expressed concerns about the two players upon their arrivals in the North West, admitting that he struggled to see how they would fit into City’s starting XI.
How have City’s “pointless signings” fared? Five key things to know…
- De Bruyne joined City from Wolfsburg in 2015 and Silva from Monaco in 2017.
- Since then the duo have helped City to two Premier League titles, an FA Cup trophy and two League Cups (with De Bruyne winning three).
- De Bruyne clinched the Premier League ‘Playmaker of the Season’ award last season and has proven to be one of Europe’s best midfielders.
- Meanwhile, Silva has flourished this campaign, earning a spot in the PFA Team of the Year as City won a domestic treble.
- Shearer has now reconsidered his stance that both singings were “pointless”, admitting that his self-proclaimed poor judgment is one of the many reasons he would not make it as a manager.
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However, since then the duo have thrived at the Etihad, proving two of the Premier League’s best players as City have dominated English football across the past two seasons.
Silva and De Bruyne were both influential as the club clinched an unprecedented domestic treble this term, with the former particularly impressing under the guidance of Pep Guardiola. As such, Shearer has now conceded that his initial assessment of the two signings was ill-considered, as they have both gone on to light up the Premier League in enthralling fashion.
Shearer told the BBC: “One of the many, many, many reasons why I would make a terrible manager is that I genuinely couldn’t see how Manchester City could get Bernardo Silva into their team.
“I thought he was a bit of a pointless signing. He’s absolutely brilliant. I think I also said the same about Kevin de Bruyne.
“And I’ll say the same when they sign someone else brilliant this summer. I would be content to sit on this team. Pep and Txiki won’t. The way Bernardo Silva picks his head up and gets those passes – you know as a forward – he’s going to find you.”
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Silva is “Iniesta-like”
Shearer was not the only one to reserve special praise for the diminutive playmaker, as former Citizen Wayne Bridge also waxed lyrical about the Portuguese ace.
Silva played a key role as City ruthlessly exposed Watford 6-0 in the FA Cup final on Saturday, and Bridge has been so mesmerised by his performance in 2018/19 that he even namechecked a certain Barcelona legend in comparison with the forward.
Speaking to the Daily Mail before the FA Cup final, he said: “One player I think is so underrated is Bernardo Silva.
“Every time I watch him I just think technically he is amazing.
“There wasn’t enough talk about him being player of the year. As an ex-footballer seeing some of the positions he’s in and when he’s got players around him, his feet, his vision, I just think he’s brilliant.
“He’s Iniesta-like, where they have people around them and they just get out of any situation.”
