Silva’s absence due to his son’s premature birth
DAVID SILVA has revealed the premature birth of his son Mateo is behind his recent absence from the Manchester City squad. Silva captained the side during the 3-1 win over Watford on Tuesday evening, but had been given permission to miss the clashes with Newcastle and Crystal Palace to spend time with his partner Yessica Suarez Gonzalez. The 31-year-old also missed the victory against Tottenham and Carabao Cup win against Leicester in mid-December, before returning briefly for the Premier League match against Bournemouth on December 23. Manager Pep Guardiola had alluded to family problems when he revealed the midfielder had been given time off over the festive period, and the Spaniard confirmed the reason behind his sporadic trips home to Gran Canaria yesterday. Silva said in an Instagram post: ‘I want to thank all of you for the love and good wishes received in the last few weeks, special thanks to my team-mates, the manager and all at the club for understanding my situation. ‘Also I want to share with you the birth of my son Mateo, who was born extremely preterm and is fighting day by day with the help of the medical team.’ Silva shone against Watford, pulling the strings for City. However, Guardiola admits it is now likely Silva will return to Spain to see Yessica and Mateo, something that the former Bayern boss understands wholeheartedly. ‘Family is most important,’ said Guardiola. ‘You can see how essential David is to us but I don’t know how long he will be here. ‘He is free to go (home) again if he needs to. It doesn’t matter if we get no points while he is away. Family is most important.’ Silva has received support from the world of football following his announcement, including from his former club Valencia. The Spanish side tweeted: ‘Everyone at Valencia hopes that little Mateo is soon at home with his father.’