Fabian Delph was an important player for Manchester City across his four years at the Etihad Stadium.
The man born in Bradford made 89 appearances for the Citizens from 2015 to 2019 – helping Manchester City win two Premier League titles, three League Cups and the FA Cup.
However, one thing Fabian Delph actually failed to do in his four years in Manchester was dispossess the mercurial David Silva in training.
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Fabian Delph admits he simply could not get the ball off David Silva
The 35-year-old has spoken to The Official Man City Podcast, and was asked to name his best teammate from his time playing for the Citizens.
Delph – who arrived from Aston Villa – said: “David Silva. You’ve got an elite level and then you’ve got someone who’s above and beyond. I think (it was) four years I spent with him and I’m obviously an aggressive player, I couldn’t tackle him.
“It’s like he had six eyes. He could see everything. He kept you at arm’s length. There was one occasion where I slide tackled him and won the ball and thought, I’ve done it. As I got up, he was leaving with the ball! He just saw everything.”
Delph and Silva made 51 appearances together for Manchester City – combining to score two goals.
Patrick Vieira agrees with Fabian Delph
The 39-year-old not only left a lasting impression on Delph, but also a true legend of the game.
Patrick Vieira hailed Silva as Manchester City’s very own version of Dennis Bergkamp back in May 2024 when speaking to the official club website, saying: “He was class, simple as that. I didn’t play long with him but, for me, he was the team player.
“I think David Silva would want others to shine more than him. He was the Dennis Bergkamp of City. He would want to please his teammates more than he would want to please himself. Dennis was like that.”
Manchester City found a bargain in David Silva
Silva cost the Citizens £24m in a move from Valencia back in July 2010.
Some may presume this figure now looks much larger when you consider inflation, but actually, it would still be a shrewd swoop in today’s money.
The Bank of England inflation calculator shows that Silva’s £24m fee would have cost £37.4m in the modern era, which is a pretty low fee in the transfer market for an elite Premier League club nowadays.