Manchester City superstar David Silva feels that his side have earned the respect from local rivals Manchester United in the five years that he has been at the club.
The Spaniard also talked about his desire to win the Champions League with the Citizens and feels that the club’s poor run in the competition could end in the near future. The attacking midfielder was allowed an extended break in the pre-season by manager Manuel Pellegrini having played non-stop football for the past four years.
Manchester United have history, prestige and tradition – David Silva
Silva, who arrived from Valencia in 2010 helped the club end their long wait for silverware in his first season at Etihad as City lifted the FA Cup in 2011. Since then the ‘noisy neighbors’ have won two league titles along with a League Cup.
Speaking in an interview with The Telegraph, Silva said:
a But we have been up there now for a few seasons, so United now have a lot more respect for us.
a When I came to City, it was different. Maybe that was not the case [that United showed respect].
The Spaniard acknowledged that Manchester United could again be challenging for the title, after a productive summer which has seen them sign five first-teamers including Bastian Schweinsteiger, Morgan Schneiderlin and Memphis Depay. The 29-year-old feels that the Red Devils have history, prestige and tradition, but insisted that he continues to help City make history and was happy to be part of the same.
a United will be there for sure,a Silva said. a They are attracting much better players and will be there challenging for sure.
a They, of course, have much more history, much more prestige, tradition. But now we have won trophies, we are making history, winning cups. We are making history and it is good to be part of that history.
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a As a club, City now have much more prestige and we are getting better and better. We are just missing that step of winning the Champions League, but doing that will help us grow even more.a
I would see it as a failure, if I dona t win the Champions League at City – Silva
The Citizens have had a rather unconvincing Champions League experience so far, having made it past the group stages on only two occasions, where they were ousted by Barcelona in the round-of-16. However, the Spaniard feels that with the additions of new players the club will have a better opportunity to compete with the very best. Earlier in the window, Manchester City signed Raheem Sterling from Liverpool FC for a record fee of A?49 million. They have also been consistently linked with Wolfsburg’s Kevin De Bruyne.
a I would see it as a failure [if I dona t win the Champions League at City]. It is the one thing I want and one day I hope to win it,a Silva said.
a Ita s difficult playing against big teams like Barcelona, Bayern. But why? I cannot tell you.
a But with good, new players, for sure we will have an opportunity to be there fighting and maybe able to do it.
a Juventus reached the final last season, but they were really lucky with the draw. That is the way that the competition is, though.a
The 29-year-old had gone four years with a proper off-season as he was involved in different international competitions for his country and was thus allowed an extended summer break by Manchester City manager Manuel Pellegrini to help recuperate properly. The Spaniard admitted that a lack of off-season is tough for players in the Premier League as there are no winter breaks in England like those in other countries. Silva currently has four years left on his deal with Manchester City and would be looking to make the most of his time in England.