• Premier League

Tevez lauds Silva as City's finest

David Silva feels he is coping well since leaving Spain © PA Photos

Enlarge

Related Links

• News: Tevez could return to Corinthians - agent
  
• Profile: Carlos Tevez

After all of the club's recent spending, Manchester City striker Carlos Tevez has hailed team-mate David Silva as their best signing.

Silva joined the club from Valencia for £24 million last summer and, while his performances have been dwarfed by that of the 20-goal Tevez, has impressed his skipper.

"I think that David is the best signing we've made," said Tevez. "David is the type of player who can win you the game. He can provide you with the sort of pass that puts you through one on one with the keeper.

"He is one of the best players we have in the squad today. I think he has freshened the team up a lot and brought a new dimension.

"There's no doubting we have the players here. The thing we need to do is build the team that the people and all of us want to see. I think that's what we need. It's always a big source of motivation to play alongside great players like [Edin] Dzeko and [Mario] Balotelli, like it is with David too.

"We have a forward line that can do a lot of damage to opposing teams. Right now, we've got Mario out injured and we have to wait for his knee to make a full recovery. But I think we're right in there battling it out for a Champions League place.

"It's what the team is aiming for and where the team ought to be. We've brought in a lot of new faces and they have needed time to settle into the squad. So at the moment we're still trying to build a proper team and I think if we finish in the top four we will have done really well."

City currently sit just five points behind local rivals United, who they play this weekend, but Silva claims that just sealing a Champions League spot would constitute a successful campaign.

"A good first season for me would be to qualify for the Champions League or to win a trophy," he said. "We will fight for the title and try to win the other competitions we are still involved with.

"I think within two or three years it will be normal for City to be playing in the Champions League, so I hope we can be on a par and challenge the best clubs around the world.

"There are so many great players here and I enjoy playing alongside every one of them. Our supporters have made me feel so welcome that I felt at home here very quickly and to have them behind me every week gives me a lift each time I play."

© ESPN Sports Media Ltd.