Pep Guardiola's arrival at the Etihad has seen a shift in the way Silva has been used, with the coach pulling him further back to sit alongside Kevin De Bruyne in the centre of the pitch.
It gives both players more room and time to dictate the game, a tactic that paid off handsomely last season as the pair managed 27 assists between them in the record-breaking title win.
For Silva, successfully used out wide in Spain's World Cup qualifying campaign, it is another string to his bow and did not go unnoticed by City's rivals.