'As bad as the Champions League!' - Bernardo Silva rues Manchester City's Club World Cup exit

City were beaten 4-3 by Al-Hilal in a thrilling last 16 tie, ending a miserable season in which they finished trophyless. Silva is adamant they will bounce back in the 2025-26 campaign but admits the disappointment is similar to their European exit to Real Madrid in February.

Silva said: "It does feel a little bit like going out of the Champions League, yeah. No one wanted to lose, we are very used to not having holidays unfortunately because the schedule is crazy. But when we are in a competition we take it very seriously and we had a lot of ambition for this Club World Cup and we wanted to win it. In one month when we start the Premier League, we will forget and focus on having a great season."

City's defeat means they end the campaign without silverware for the first time since 2017, Pep Guardiola's first season in charge. He has made several signings to help fix his side's slump but they were not enough to prevent a poor defensive performance letting them down against Al-Hilal.

City must recover quickly, with the Premier League campaign little more than six weeks away. They face Wolves on the opening weekend of the season.