Bernardo Silva is sitting at the edge of the indoor pitch at Manchester City’s training ground talking about John. The John in question is not John Stones, his City team-mate. Rather, his pet dog. ‘John?’ ‘John!’ he affirms.
‘My dog is a French Bulldog because we thought it was the best breed to have in an apartment,’ he explains. ‘He sleeps a lot — he spends the whole day sleeping — so it’s easier. He doesn’t need to burn off a lot of energy.’
In one sense, the dog has something in common with his master.