Manchester City have made some changes to their squad as they prepare for the 2025-25 Premier League season, MySportDab reports.
The seven-time champions struggled in the just-concluded season and could only manage a third-place finish at the end of the campaign.
This is unlike previous seasons where they had dominated the English top flight, winning it for a record four straight seasons.
With the 2025-26 season fast approaching, they will hope to stop at nothing at returning to elite-level play and challenging for the title.
To achieve this, the team have made a big change to their internal leadership structure.
As confirmed by Fabrizio Romano, they have appointed a new captain in the person of Portuguese attacking midfielder Bernardo Silva.
Silva has a year left on his Man City contract and has already hinted that he will renew again.
This means the Portuguese will end his last chapter with the Cityzens rising to the top of the ladder in the club’s internal leadership structure.
Meanwhile, Pep Guardiola reportedly hand-picked him to be the new captain. And it is understood this is a departure from the Spaniard’s style of electing a new captain for every team. he has managed.
Before Silva, close sources reveal that he usually allows the team members to vote on who should be the new captain but has decided to personally appoint Silva by himself.
Explaining this shift, Guardiola is quoted to have cited ‘things he didn’t like’ last season as the reason for his decision.
Before now, Kyle Walker was Man City’s captain and it is understood the England right-back didn’t have it with Guardiola before his loan exit to AC Milan.
It is believed this fallout must have contributed to Guardiola’s decision to jettison his old norm and appoint a new captain by himself.