Whoever wins Manchester City's Player of the Season award will have truly pulled off something remarkable.

All the plaudits have focused on the effortless class of Kevin de Bruyne, the effervescence of the young Leroy Sane, and the perseverance of Raheem Sterling.

David Silva, meanwhile, finds himself sporting a new look, but in an all too familiar scenario.

The feeling is that the Spanish international has never quite earned the recognition he deserves, at least not from outside the Etihad.

Quietly but brilliantly going about his business, there's a great paradox about the way he performs: on the one hand, he never fails to surprise us, yet that also means it's simply expected that he'll shine.

After scoring the winning goal in the 2-1 win over West Ham, he was rightly being discussed in the Sky Sports studio by Jamie Carragher and Thierry Henry.

The Premier League's best? 

Jamie Carragher called him "Manchester City's greatest ever player", while Henry paid him an even bigger compliment:

"He's the best creative midfielder we've seen in this league," the former Arsenal striker said.

"I didn't see everyone play, but David Silva wants the ball and plays the same way against every team. He puts his foot in and doesn't shy away from the ball. He's brave off the ball and on the ball. What a player."

A bold statement from a true Premier League great.

On this occasion against the Hammers, De Bruyne also deserved credit for the pass that assisted the goal.

This is a City team that undoubtedly looks special and it will take something spectacular from Manchester United, or anyone else for that matter, to beat them to the title.

The gap at the top remains eight points, though it's the football Pep Guardiola's side have been playing that has attracted such high praise.

Do you agree with Henry's comments about Silva? Have your say in the comments.