David Silva says Pep Guardiola has improved Manchester City in every position “from the goalkeeper to the forward”.
The Spanish playmaker has been reflecting on his 10 years at the club, as he prepares to say his farewell to Manchester.
Silva will leave City at the end of the season, with just one more Premier League fixture and the Champions League still to play.
He has spent the last four seasons under Guardiola after previously playing for Roberto Mancini and Manuel Pellegrini, and he has enjoyed his role under the Catalan.
Asked by DAZN Spain how Guardiola had changed his game, Silva said: “I don’t know, he changed my position, now I have more contact with the ball than when I played as a winger.
“I have found myself very comfortable, really.
“And then, he improves the team in every way, from the goalkeeper to the forward, which made the team grow.”
Since joining from Valencia in 2010, Silva has seen City transformed as a club.
Their Premier League win in 2011-12 was their first league title in 44 years, and City have added three more since then – while he has also won two FA Cups and five League Cups during his time in England.
Now, after a decade of investment, City are a team striving to win the Champions League, expected to compete with the best at home and abroad.
"When I arrived here, we were in other, smaller facilities,” Silva recalled. “It was not here in the city.
"The club has grown worldwide. We are growing because of the titles, for everything.
“When you win, people demand you win. The same happens with the Spanish national team.
“Before, you didn't win; we started to win and now they demand you win. And if you don't win, it's failure."
Silva’s final Premier League appearance for City will come on Sunday, as they welcome bottom club Norwich to the Etihad Stadium.
Less than two weeks later, Real Madrid will be the visitors as City return to the Champions League looking to cap a disappointing domestic season with a potential first European success.