Fabio Vieira has likened his style of play to Manchester City star Bernardo Silva, with the Arsenal talent often compared to the Portuguese international before even moving to England.
Speaking to O Jogo, the 22-year-old playmaker revealed that he admires Silva’s style of play, with Vieira saying on his Premier League rival: “Of course I admire him, he is an extraordinary player, I know him very well from Portugal, he played for Benfica before. I think we are similar players, with similar qualities, too.”
Vieira has enjoyed a comfortable first year in England since signing for Arsenal in the summer from FC Porto, with the youngster bagging two goals and four assists in all competitions for the Gunners, and comparisons to Silva have been in the making for some time.
The £60m City superstar has been one of the best midfielders in the Premier League for some time, with Pep Guardiola’s decision to convert Silva from a winger to a deeper player one of the Catalan manager’s best decisions yet during his time in Manchester.
Indeed, Silva’s silky dribbling, close control and mesmeric passing has made the former AS Monaco star a true weapon for City, and Vieira could one day become as important a player for Arsenal, with Mikel Arteta seemingly having big plans for the Portuguese youth international.
Playing as both a right-winger and a central midfielder, Vieira has acted this season as an understudy to both Martin Odegaard and Bukayo Saka, and whilst some performances have been disappointing, there’s no denying that the 22-year-old is growing into his own.
Fabio Vieira has the right mindset to admire Bernardo Silva
Some Arsenal fans might take issue with Vieira admiring a rival player in Silva, especially in a season where the Gunners are taking City on for the Premier League title. Yet the midfielder looking up to the Portuguese international shows that the youngster has the right role models in his life.
As we know, Silva is one of the best midfielders in world football and a key player for City, and if Vieira can one day become as good as his Portuguese comrade, then Arsenal will one day have quite the player on their hands in the exciting years to come under Arteta.
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