Pep wants Silva star to shine to the end with his City

PEP GUARDIOLA hopes David Silva will see out his top-flight career with Manchester City.

Silva’s representatives are in negotiations with City’s sporting director Txiki Begiristain to extend his current contract by another year, which would tie the Spain midfielder, right, to the club until 2020 when he will be 34 and will have completed a decade at the Etihad.

Guardiola said: “We would like him to stay but it’s up to him and Txiki to decide. He is a special player who I like a lot – a competitor, a fighter, a winner, he has the quality to keep the ball. He is so important.

“You have to be so happy because we have him. His reputation is worldwide. He loves to be here because he’s part of the history, like Joe Hart, Vincent Kompany, Yaya Toure and Sergio Aguero. He’s one of the guys who have given this club the important step. They have helped us a lot.”

Argentine striker Aguero, meanwhile, could make a shock comeback against Stoke today just over a fortnight after injuring a rib in a car crash.

“He’s not 100 per cent but he has recovered quite well. Hopefully he’ll be back as soon as possible – maybe tomorrow,” added Guardiola.

Stoke manager Mark Hughes has hinted strongly that striker Saido Berahino will be dropped from penalty duties after missing from the spot in the 2-1 win against Southampton before the international break. Berahino is without a goal in 32 senior appearances – including 18 for Stoke – and has missed four penalties since he last scored a senior goal. “I don’t think ‘Shaq’ will allow him to have it again,” said Hughes, who saw Xherdan Shaqiri hand over the ball for the spot-kick against the Saints. “Saido had earned the penalty and he felt in a good place and he wanted the

opportunity to take it. We have to look at his record. In recent times he hasn’t converted too many of them.

“So we would probably have a conversation about it. I would expect him to look over to the bench to see if he could take it!

“He will always want to take penalties. We just have to make the decision on whether he is the right one to take them.”