Bernardo Silva credits two teammates for saving Manchester City’s season ahead of major summer overhaul | OneFootball

Manchester City midfielder Bernardo Silva has lauded the impact made by academy graduate duo James McAtee and Nico O’Reilly within the first-team ranks this season.

O’Reilly has been a revelation since his integration to the first-team setup in recent months, starring in Manchester City’s run to the FA Cup final with a number of important goals and match-winning performances.

The 19-year-old was also instrumental to City’s 2-0 win over Nottingham Forest in the FA Cup semi-final at the weekend, starring in a makeshift left-back and gliding past opposition players with ease and showing levels of maturity well beyond his years.

Pep Guardiola has hailed O’Reilly for his acumen in using his physicality and strength to offer his boyhood club a much-needed presence in defence whilst having the ability on the ball to pose a threat going forward and impacting games, having scored in recent Premier League wins over Crystal Palace and Everton.

James McAtee has been another academy star impressing in the first-team in recent months and after a patient first half of the campaign – wherein the 22-year-old struggled for a look-in amongst the midfield – McAtee has kicked on and been given a new lease of life by Guardiola in recent months.

The Salford-born attacking midfielder scored on his full Premier League debut in a 5-2 drubbing of Crystal Palace and was rewarded for his strike with another start against Leicester City at home in the following week.

Speaking to ITV, Bernardo Silva was asked if he was surprised to witness the impact made by the likes of O’Reilly and McAtee in the first-team this season. “Not surprised because I’m training with them every day so I know how good they are, how difficult it is sometimes to get into this squad” the Portuguese said.

“We’ve seen in the past – even with players like Morgan Rogers and Cole Palmer – it’s not easy to get in. But they (O’Reilly and McAtee) have been performing really well, every time they play and especially this season when the team didn’t perform as well, when they came on – they were really good.”

It remains to be seen what the future holds of McAtee – who is keen on regular first-team football amid interest from Bayer Leverkusen – whilst O’Reilly is almost certain to be handed a new deal in the summer and be made an integral member of next season’s squad.

Silva, who himself has been linked with a possible departure in the summer, added: “Hopefully, they (O’Reilly and McAtee) can keep developing, keep working hard. But it’s definitely players we will hear a lot about in future, hopefully at Manchester City.”

Lastly, Silva also heaped praise upon Egypt forward Omar Marmoush, who has led the line for Guardiola’s side in the absence of the injured Erling Haaland and has made a fast start to life in England after his £59 million January switch from Eintracht Frankfurt.

“Very impressed! Especially with his (Marmoush’s) work rate, the way he gives himself to the team, not just coming here to show good he is. If you see the way he works, it’s really impressive and that’s what we want, so we’re very happy,” Silva said.