Villa wary of ‘ghost’ Silva

STOP David Silva and you have a fighting chance of success against Manchester City, says Aston Villa’s Ashley Westwood.

The midfielder will lock horns with the Spaniard in tomorrow’s FA Cup fourth-round tie at Villa Park.

City playmaker Silva has not been at his best in recent matches, but is still a man opposition teams attempt to shut down.

Westwood is a huge admirer, telling Villa’s website: “Silva is by far the toughest opponent I have faced. He’s like a ghost at times. You don’t know where he is.”

Keeping tabs on Silva is obviously a priority for a Villa side showing green shoots of a revival, but with City having so many potential danger men the hosts can’t afford to concentrate on him.

Star striker Sergio Aguero, the tie-clincher against Everton in the Capital One Cup semi-final on Wednesday, is at the top of his game, while the likes of Raheem Sterling, Jesus Navas and Yaya Toure will also need close attention.

So while the odds will be stacked in City’s favour, the outcome is not the formality it might have seemed a few weeks ago.