Manchester City star Bernardo Silva has explained that being unhappy in his personal life was the reason he wanted to leave the club last summer, also confirming that he would discuss extending his contract at the Etihad at the end of the season.
Bernardo has been in inspired form this season, missing just one game and helping establish City as favourite for the Premier League title. However, the midfielder has not had it all his own way in Manchester over the past few years.
After suffering from loneliness during the various coronavirus lockdowns, he even requested to leave the club last summer.
“I was feeling a little bit alone at the time in England and I wasn’t very happy with my life,” he told the Times recently.
“And if you’re not happy, you don’t do your job as well as you do when you are happy. I was well physically, but if you don’t do your job with a smile on your face, you’re not going to do it as well.”
He added: “I had a talk with the club because I wasn’t happy with my life here, and I wanted to be closer to my family. But it [wanting to leave] had nothing to do with the club. I love Manchester City. I love my team-mates, I love the fans, I love the club. Afterwards, nothing happened. I stayed, and I will always give my best for this club as long as I stay here.”
Bernardo is currently contracted until 2025, but he failed to rule out staying longer than that.
“At the end of the season, I’m going to sit down with City and see what’s best for both sides,” he said. “We’re in the middle of the season and we want to win a lot of important trophies. We can win all three of them, or zero, or one. Now is not a good time to talk about [my future].”
90min.com
