Man City's dire need for recognised striker highlighted by crazy goal stat

Manchester City's need for a recognised striker has never been more apparent, after Bernardo Silva became their ninth different scorer in their last 11 goals during Saturday's 1-0 victory over Leicester City.

The Cityzens created plenty of chances against the Foxes, but had to rely on their Portuguese midfielder to tuck away the only goal of the game at King Power Stadium.

And Silva's goal was only evidence of just how desperately Man City and Pep Guardiola need a recognised striker to lead the line.

The Premier League champions' last 11 goals have been scored by an incredible nine different players, showing the amount of quality spread around the squad - but also a lack of an out-and-out scorer.

Guardiola was also aware of this statistic at the final whistle, urging his players to be more ruthless in front of goal, while claiming that sharing goals around the team 'is the only way to sustain our level.'

“We had many chances and could have scored more goals. This is a step we still need to take.

"We score the last 11 goals from nine different players. It’s the only way to sustain our level. {Bernardo Silva] is back in the best form and mentality. He is an exceptional player, and we know it."

City's pursuit of last season's Premier League golden boot winner Harry Kane showed just how aware the club was of the need to bring more goals into the forward line, but they ultimately failed to agree a deal with Tottenham Hotspur for their talisman.

That blow, coupled with the loss of Sergio Aguero over the summer, has put Guardiola in a tricky position.

Gabriel Jesus is the only recognised senior striker in the squad, but the Brazilian has grown to enjoy playing out wide in recent months, leaving a huge hole in the attack. Ferran Torres is being shown the ropes as a centre-forward, but he couldn't make the difference against Leicester.

Will Man City come to rue the decision not to replace Aguero over the summer, once the Kane move had fallen through? Time will tell, but they could struggle to keep up with goalscoring record of the likes of Romelu Lukaku, Cristiano Ronaldo and Mohamed Salah this season.