8 Minutes in a Month: Mourinho Makes a Star Vanish

* Bernardo Silva, 32, is playing less and less under 63-year-old José Mourinho at Real Madrid.

According to "Verzeh Se", this Portuguese star, who was recruited from Manchester City, has played only 8 minutes in the last month.

Bernardo Silva left for Santiago Bernabeu this summer after 9 years in Manchester City. This Portuguese player was noticed by Real Madrid due to his ability to direct the game, but he still could not find a place in the Galaxy's main line-up.

Although Bernardo Silva was criticized by Jose Mourinho for his fitness, he was in the starting lineup in the first two weeks of La Liga against Espanyol with a result of 2-1 and Real Sociedad with a result of 4-1. In the third week against Malaga with a score of 4-0, this Portuguese player was put on the bench by Mourinho. However, he played 13 minutes in that match.

The last match in which Silva played as a starting player was against Rayo Vaikano with a score of 4-1 on September 12. Since then, the former Manchester City player has only played 8 minutes. He played in a 1–2 derby against Atlético Madrid on September 20 in week 7 of La Liga and also provided an assist. He was removed from the team list in the matches against Elche with a result of 3:2 and Villarreal with a result of 1:0.

Bernardo Silva was not used in the Portuguese national team. In the recent UEFA Nations League, he played a total of only 11 minutes in the second leg against Norway. He was an unused bench player in the matches against Denmark with a result of 4:2 and Wales with a result of 1:0. Silva also did not play for Real Madrid in the 2-1 Champions League match against Inter in the first week. It is not yet clear whether he will play today in the same competition against AS Roma or not.

Jose Mourinho considered Bernardo Silva as a midfield option alongside Valverde in a two central midfielder system. However, this option did not work out and another possibility is that Mourinho will give the Portuguese player a more attacking role.

However, according to Marca, Mourinho is confident that Bernardo Silva can return to the expected level. In attack, the Portuguese has a tough job ahead of him, as Diomende has become the first choice when Vinicius is unavailable.