David Silva confirms son's health reason for absence
Silva missed four City games across all competitions during the month of December as a result of what can now be revealed as the premature birth of his son, Mateo.
"I want to thank all of you for the love and good wishes received in the last few weeks, special thanks to my teammates, the manager and all at the club for understanding my situation," Silva tweeted on Wednesday afternoon.
"Also, I want to share with you the birth of my son Mateo, who was born extremely preterm and is fighting day by day with help of the medical team."
Silva made his return to action in the 3-1 win against Watford, captaining the side, but Pep Guardiola made it clear afterwards that the Spanish maestro will be granted more time off should he need it.
"David is free to stay or to leave whenever he needs to. It depends,” said Guardiola.
"He wants to stay and help us and because he loves to play for City, but family is the most important thing in life. I would never push him. If we drop points because he is not with us, so be it - family is everything and must come first."