Man City's "top talent" showed in 27 touches why he can be the new Silva

Manchester City are still on course for Champions League qualification after one of the most unlikely comebacks you’ll see all season.

On Saturday lunchtime, the Sky Blues found themselves 2-0 down at home to Crystal Palace, with the Eagles having a third ruled out for offside, before squandering another gilt-edged opportunity, cutting Man City apart time after time with ease.

Thus, with 25 minutes on the clock, few would have forecast that the Citizens would run out 5-2 winners, as transpired.

Kevin De Bruyne’s free-kick got the comeback started and then Omar Marmoush lashed home an equaliser soon after, with second-half goals from Mateo Kovačić and then youngsters James McAtee and Nico O’Reilly completing the turnaround.

So, with six games remaining, the Sky Blues remain in the hunt for a top five finish but, if they’re to make it, Pep Guardiola must give more opportunities to his “top talent” who’s showing flashes of a certain Davild Silva.

What made David Silva such a special player

David Silva arrived at Manchester City in the summer of 2010 for a reported £30m, a big fee at the time, as part of their first wave of eye-catching signings, alongside Jérôme Boateng, Yaya Touré, James Milner, Aleksandar Kolarov, Edin Džeko and Mario Balotelli.

Well, considering he now has a statue outside the Etihad, it’s fair to say Silva departed a Man City legend, with the table below outlining exactly why.

During Silva’s first season in Manchester, he was a key figure in the side that won the FA Cup, beating Stoke 1-0 in the final, thereby securing the club’s first piece of major silverware for 35 years.

The following season, quite famously, the Citizens pipped Manchester United to the Premier League title on the final day, and this has really proved to be just the start of their dominance over the last decade or so.

Former teammate Kyle Walker claims that Silva is the best player he’s ever played with, while ex-Liverpool and England defender Jamie Carragher told the Telegraph that he believes the Spaniard is Man City’s ‘best-ever player’.

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However, do the Sky Blues currently have a homegrown youngster breaking into the first team with a skill-set reminiscent of the great midfielder?

Man City’s next David Silva

Saturday saw the aforementioned McAtee make his full-Premier League debut for Manchester City, marking the occasion with a goal from one of his 27 touches of the ball, played in behind by Ederson before rounding Dean Henderson and slotting home, before pulling off a spectacular back-flip.

The 22-year-old has been on Man City’s books since the age of 11 and that was his 31st appearance for the first team, although only seven of these have been starts, all in the Community Shield, EFL Cup or FA Cup prior to this weekend.

He did see significantly more game time during a two-season loan spell at Sheffield United, making 75 appearances for the Blades, so let’s assess why he’s being compared to Silva.

The table emphasises that McAtee still has a long way to go to ever reach Silva’s level, but he certainly has the potential to do so.

Jacek Kulig of Football Talent Scout labels him a “top talent”, impressed by his “electric pace and acceleration” as well as his “high technical” level and “dribbling” ability. Those last few traits, combined with the youngster’s marvelous left foot and low centre of gravity, are certainly reminiscent of Silva in his pomp.

Guardiola, meantime, said on Saturday “I know how good he is…we can rely on him”, so McAtee has certainly proved he deserves more starts during the remainder of this season.

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