Size isn't everything - Bernardo Silva out to prove doubters wrong

The diminutive midfielder joined City from French champions Monaco earlier this summer for £43m and he admitted just last week that he must adapt if he is to be a Premier League success story.

"It's a very different league from the French one, from what I was used to," he explained. "It's true that it's very physical. In my opinion sometimes it is too much but I need to get used to it."

At 5ft 8ins and around 10 stone in weight, Silva comes in at just half an inch shorter than the Portuguese male average, making his travails as a youngster somewhat surprising.

In an interview with 'Sky Sports', Benfica academy director Nuno Gomes explained how Silva's height threatened to hold him back at a young age.

"Bernardo was made in our academy. He is one of the most talented players we have ever developed. But during his youth career, there were some times when he struggled to play in the first XI because of his size. We could see he had great talent, but he was not as strong as the other boys," Gomes pointed out.

Since then, Bernardo has proven his doubters wrong, going on to be a star at Monaco and becoming a regular member of the Portugal national team squad, with his next target being Premier League success.

Despite his slight frame, Portuguese football expert Tom Kundert says that he is a willing worker, telling 'Sky Sports': "He is anything but the luxury player you might expect of someone as brilliantly skilled as him. Despite his slight frame he does not shy away at all from physical contact."

City face Liverpool in the Premier League on Saturday and both Kundert and Gomes are confident that Silva has all the tools needed to take the Premier League by storm.

"Bernardo is proving that size doesn't matter. Soon you will see how talented he is," Gomes added.