Bernardo Silva tipped to 'compete with the very best' after tearing Liverpool apart

Silva was one of the highlights in an incredibly high quality 2-2 draw with Liverpool on Sunday, at one point taking on the entire Reds team with a Diego Maradona-esque run.

The Portuguese midfielder put in a similar display against Chelsea in the Premier League champions' previous game, dominating on and off the ball as City put in a commanding display to win at Stamford Bridge.

Silva was strongly linked with a move away from the Etihad during the summer following the £100million arrival of Jack Grealish, with a swap to LaLiga winners Atletico Madrid mooted.

He ended up staying, though, and has been a huge part of City's strong start to the new campaign.

HIs move to a more central midfield role is proving to be one of Pep Guardiola's key changes this season.

Mohamed Salah and Phil Foden stole the headlines with two brilliant goals, with the Liverpool star's strike being dubbed one of the best ever in the Premier League.

But Fonte, the Ligue 1-winning Lille defender, has been watching Portugal teammate Silva's performances closely, and has been massively impressed.

"I was watching carefully the game between City and Chelsea the other day and it was just incredible to see the quality for the whole game, it was very impressive to see," Fonte told the talkSPORT Breakfast.

"In my opinion, Bernardo Silva's performance was incredible.

"I'm biased, but I really loved his commitment, his energy, obviously we all know the quality that he has on the ball but his commitment and his out of the possession influence was unbelievable to see and he's in great form.

"He played again really well against Liverpool and I'm really impressed.

"I've always been impressed with Pep Guardiola's teams and the way they play and how organised they are and how the players run for him."

Fonte has played alongside Silva 28 times for the Portuguese national team, but believes he's now seeing a whole new dimension in the City midfielder's game.

The 27-year-old was on the radar of many of the world's top clubs after impressing for Monaco, and he's now fully living up to the hype.

And Fonte claims his current displays could put him in the very top bracket of world superstars.

Fonte said: "I text him the other day after the Chelsea game I said: 'Listen, if you put this type of commitment into your game…'

"We all know that obviously he's one of the best handlers of the ball and his decision making is great. He always makes the best decision for what the game needs at the time.

"But if he shows this intensity and commitment without the ball, he can be at the top competing with the very best, no doubt.

"He's just incredible."