Rui Faria’s Missed Call: The Bernardo Silva Saga
Manchester United’s summer is already defined by upheaval and hard choices. New faces, big exits, a fresh hierarchy, and Michael Carrick preparing for his first full season in charge. But as the club looks for the next difference-maker, a story from 2017 has resurfaced to underline just how fine the margins can be at the very top.
Rui Faria says he tried to bring Bernardo Silva to Old Trafford. United passed. Manchester City didn’t.
The one that got away
Faria, Jose Mourinho’s long-time lieutenant and closest confidant, has revealed that he urged United to move for Bernardo seven years ago, when the Portuguese playmaker was still just 22.
“Bernardo Silva is a fantastic player. I remember recommending him to Manchester United in 2017, when he was 22,” Faria told AS. “We tried, but it wasn’t possible, and he ended up at their city rivals. If he’s fit, he can be a game-changer for Real Madrid. He’s a player with tremendous technical ability, a great understanding of the game, and exceptional intelligence.”
The outcome is now part of Premier League history. United hesitated. City pounced. The rest of the decade in Manchester tilted blue.
Bernardo went on to become one of Pep Guardiola’s most trusted players, a versatile, relentless midfielder who shaped games with the ball and without it. Six Premier League titles later, plus a Champions League crown in 2023, his influence at the Etihad is beyond dispute.
This summer, that chapter closed. Bernardo left City at the end of his contract and joined Real Madrid on a free transfer, walking into a dressing room that now also contains another familiar presence from his homeland: Mourinho.
Mourinho, Madrid, and a reunion years in the making
Faria knows Mourinho as well as anyone in the game. The pair worked together for 17 years across six clubs, including two spells at Chelsea and that turbulent, trophy-winning stint at Old Trafford.
In his interview with AS, Faria dissected Mourinho’s return to Real Madrid and made his position clear: in his eyes, Mourinho should never have left the Bernabeu after his first spell between 2010 and 2013.
Now, the Portuguese coach finally has Bernardo Silva under his command. The player Faria once tried to steer towards United will instead be central to Mourinho’s attempt to wrestle La Liga back to the Bernabeu.
The symmetry is striking. The midfielder who defined an era for City now tasked with reinforcing Madrid’s grip on Spain and Europe, under a manager whose own career has been shaped by sliding-door moments.
United’s sliding doors
The revelation comes at a time when United are once again trying to close the gap to their two biggest domestic benchmarks: Arsenal and City.
Carrick’s first season in charge delivered a third-place finish in the Premier League. Respectable, encouraging even, but not enough to satisfy a club that measures itself in titles. The new campaign arrives with pressure from above, scrutiny from below, and a fanbase desperate to see smarter, sharper decisions in the transfer market.
Faria’s story about Bernardo feels like a warning from the recent past. A reminder that the right player, at the right age, in the right system, can bend a title race. And that missing out can reshape an era.
The contrast with City’s current situation is stark. They go into the new season without Guardiola, without Bernardo, and with uncertainty over Rodri’s future. The champions are vulnerable in a way they haven’t been for years. United, under new Ineos control, cannot afford another “almost” in the market.
Faria’s journey after Old Trafford
Faria himself walked away from United at the end of the 2017/18 season, bringing a 17-year partnership with Mourinho to a close. He resigned to spend more time with his family, stepping out of the constant glare that follows his former boss.
In 2019 he resurfaced briefly as manager of Al-Duhail in Saudi Arabia, sampling life as a No 1 before moving into a more strategic role. Today, he works as a technical observer for UEFA, filing detailed reports on Champions League matches and watching, up close, the kind of elite talent he once tried to recruit.
He will see plenty of Bernardo Silva again soon enough, this time in white, orchestrating games for Real Madrid rather than tormenting English defences in sky blue.
For United, the tale lingers. At a club now asking itself what sort of squad Carrick needs, what kind of profile should define the Ineos era, Faria’s missed recommendation hangs in the air like a challenge.
The next Bernardo Silva is out there. The question is whether United recognise him in time.
