Bernardo Silva says that comparisons between him and David Silva are unfair on the latter due to his long and illustrious career, admitting that the Spaniard will leave some "very big shoes to fill" when he leaves Manchester City.
The Portugal star also revealed that it took time for him to be able to learn how Raheem Sterling operates as a playmaker for the Premier League champions and that he understands Phil Foden's impatience for more game time.
City captain Silva has previously confirmed that his current and 10th campaign at the club will be his last, with the 33-year-old having been linked with a move to David Beckham's Major League Soccer expansion team Inter Miami.
During his time in Manchester, the midfielder has won four top-flight titles, two FA Cups, four Carabao Cups and been named as their Player of the Year, in 2016-17.
Speaking to the Daily Mailin a wide-ranging interview, Bernardo, who was nominated for the PFA Player of the Season in his second year in English football, acknowledged that there was something of a changing of the guard taking place under Pep Guardiola, with former captain Vincent Kompany and Yaya Toure among other departures in recent years.
However, he played down suggestions that he will definitely be the next era-defining Silva for the club, stating that if he is positioned to inherit the former Spain international's mantle, he will seek to prove himself a worthy successor.
“Look, they are very big shoes to fill,” he stated. “David and I sometimes play in the same position and have the same style but I think it's unfair on David to be compared to me because he has played at a huge level for 15 years and I am just starting.
“The team will go on. Yaya left, Vinny last season, Kun [Sergio Aguero] one day will go.
"Players will try to replace them, knowing that it's difficult because they are some of the best players to ever play at this club. But one day if they want me to try to fill David's shoes, I will try my best to do it."
The 25-year-old also weighed in on how he found the change in moving to City from Monaco, where he won a Ligue 1 title, adding that he feels that he has struck up an intimate tactical knowledge alongside Sterling.
"I feel I am better adapted now," he added. "The difference of working with the same manager and same team-mates for three months or two years makes a huge difference.
"For example when you pass to Raz [Sterling] you know where exactly you have to put the ball. When you first arrive, you don't know that. You learn it."
Bernardo also added that he has sympathy for Foden, whose lack of time on the pitch this season has drawn some eyebrows in certain quarters.
The England youth international has only featured for 10 minutes, but his team-mate has fully backed him to make the leap to regular match day action, providing he remains patient.
"When I was in Portugal and a good [young talent] came through from Benfica, Sporting or Porto people wanted them to develop as fast as possible," he added.
"But not many players can go from young teams at Barcelona, Real Madrid, City, Liverpool into the first team when they are 19. That's normal too.
"Look, Phil wants to play and that's OK but look at the players he has ahead in his position. So it's not easy. I do think he will be able to play regularly for this club but he just needs to be calm."