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Manchester City assistant Pep Lijnders on replacing 'unique' Bernardo Silva
Manchester City assistant manager Pep Lijnders has hinted midfielder Bernardo Silva's nine-year spell at the club will end this summer, saying "every good story comes to an end".
The 31-year-old's contract expires at the end of the season. He has not yet signed an extension and has been linked with La Liga leaders Barcelona, Serie A side Juventus and clubs in America.
Lijnders was on media duty after Saturday's 4-0 FA Cup quarter-final win over Liverpool with manager Pep Guardiola serving a touchline ban, and reflected on the importance of the Portuguese international to City.
"You never replace a player with the same kind of player because they don't exist," he said.
"Bernardo Silva is unique. The way he controls games, the way he moves, the way he receives, the way he leads, the way he sees the solutions. All these things.
"But it will be hard because, as I said, in the game, when he is not playing you will see how he is missed - and that's one game. Imagine a season.
"But every good story comes to an end, and I hope he enjoys the last months - there are only six weeks - and has a good farewell.
"He deserves all that attention as well."
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Silva, who came to the club from Monaco in 2017, made his 450th appearance for the club in Saturday's win while the recent Carabao Cup success was his 18th piece of silverware at City.
Guardiola is a long-time admirer of Silva, who is his most selected player over his managerial career, and made him captain after the departure of Kevin de Bruyne at the end of last season.
City have been linked with a move for Nottingham Forest midfielder Elliot Anderson in the summer but Lijnders also stressed the importance of the City Academy.
"You never search for a replacement of one type of player," he added. "You search for what is needed to grow with the team and somebody who can fit in the first 11.
"And then you hope, with our academy, with the young players we already bought that they can make that step as well in the midfield positions.
"If you see our young boys in the academy, then they have to make that step and to grow.
"But the most important is that the seniors who stay for a long time, that they stay, that they are always there and, around that, you can move."
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