Three players Manchester City should consider as they look to replace departing club legend

Manchester City's season is not going particularly well as the back to back Champions of England already find themselves nine points behind Liverpool in the title race. 

In fact, their season started on a poor note itself, when their star midfielder David Silva announced that it will be his last season for the Citizens. 

The 33-year-old has spent a trophy laden decade at the the Etihad and has been one of the key members of the ambitious Manchester City project, which has gone quite well. He has been a big reason behind the Citizens' four Premier League triumphs during his stay at the club and will depart the club as a legend.

One of the greatest players to ever grace the pitch for the Citizens, Silva is an irreplaceable player even at the age of 33. Even in an all-star team like Manchester City managed by the legendary Pep Guardiola, Silva's absence is felt whenever he misses a game. 

'Merlin' was on the bench for the club's trip to Anfield ahead of the international break and Liverpool absolutely hammered the Citizens 3-1 to extend their lead to nine points at the top of the table. 

Silva was appointed the club captain after the departure of Vincent Kompany in the summer as the Belgian moved to his homeland to become the player-manager of his boyhood club Anderlecht. 

It will be really hard for City to find an able replacement for such a world-class midfielder even with the kind of financial supremacy the club is blessed with. 

In this article, we will look at three players who could be brought in by Pep Guardiola to fill in the big boots of the two-time Euro Cup and one-time World Cup winner. 

Isco 

Real Madrid playmaker Isco has been consistently linked with Manchester City for years, especially since the appointment of Pep Guardiola as the manager of the Citizens. 

It is no wonder as to why he is a player that fascinates the club so much. With the kind of grace and technical ability Isco boasts, he looks like a player born to play under Guardiola. 

It is indeed a surprise that the former Malaga attacking midfielder could never really establish himself as a first-team regular at Santiago Bernabeu despite being at the club for six years now. 

The Spaniard has everything in his game but lacks consistency and the right management that can help him reach his true potential and Guardiola could be the man, who can truly unleash his talent.  

Isco looks like a solid replacement of his compatriot David Silva. He is as versatile as his senior being capable of playing as a number eight, number ten or even on the flanks and is tailor-made for the football Guardiola plays.  

James Rodriguez 

James Rodriguez has been another player of Real Madrid, who never really looked at home at the Spanish capital club despite all his talent. And, Guardiola should be interested in his services in order to replace David Silva because at his best, James could be as good as the Spaniard. 

The Colombian superstar used to be one of the biggest superstars in world football after the sensational 2014 World Cup campaign he had for Colombia. He earned his big move to Real Madrid after the marvelous individual performance he had in the tournament and had an excellent first season with Los Blancos under Carlo Ancelotti. 

However, since then, his career never really flourished and rather his graph spiralled downwards. Zinedine Zidane is certainly not a manager who rates him highly and therefore he was loaned to Bayern for two seasons. 

Despite doing a decent job for the Bavarian giants whenever he was fit, they chose not to sign him permanently, resulting in the Colombian to move back to the Bernabeu.  

It was looking that the 28-year-old was finally making his way into Zidane's plans this season with an inspiring start to the season but his poor luck with injuries has hampered his comeback. 

It seems that the Colombian's nightmare will continue at Real Madrid and he desperately needs a fresh start to his career and Manchester City could be his ideal destination. 

Kai Havertz 

Unlike the two players mentioned in the article, Kai Havertz is a long-term prospect and could be a huge asset for the club for many years to come if the Citizens can land the German wonderkid. He is one of the hottest prospects in world football at the moment and certainly the biggest in Germany. 

A host of clubs across Europe have been regularly monitoring the Bayer Leverkusen starlet and Manchester City are no exception. 

Liverpool, Manchester United, Real Madrid, Barcelona, Juventus and several other clubs want the 20-year-old playmaker but it is believed that Bayern Munich are leading the chase. They wouldn't want to let such a talent move outside Germany. 

Havertz, just like Silva, is a natural in a number of midfield positions. Even though, he is most comfortable when playing as a number ten but he more than capable of playing on either flanks. 

He has also played in a deeper midfield role for Leverkusen and could be nurtured to play regularly in the position.

Also, Havertz has a big advantage that he boasts a huge frame of 1.89 m and for a player so big, his technical ability is really astonishing. 

He can carry the ball forward and can unlock the opposition defence with a killer pass when he sees the opportunity. His biggest quality is that he is much more mature compared to his age and would certainly develop a lot under the stewardship of Guardiola.

Featured image credit- Manchester Evening News