Premier League: David Silva reveals reason behind missed matches

Manchester City midfielder David Silva missed his side's matches against Newcastle and Crystal Palace recently and manager Pep Guardiola confirmed that the absence was due to "personal reasons". The Spanish midfielder played in Manchester City's 3-1 victory over Watford on Tuesday and then explained the reason behind his absences: the premature birth of his son. David Silva has been one of the most important members in Pep Guardiola's squad this season, he scored five goals in eighteen league appearances so far. David Silva released a statement on Twitter saying his son Mateo was "born extremely preterm and is fighting day by day". The midfielder added: "I want to thank you for the love and good wishes received in the last few weeks, special thanks to my team-mates, the manager and all at the club for understanding my situation." After the Watford match manager Pep Guardiola said that David Silva might need some more time off in order to support his wife through this difficult moment. Pep Guardiola added: "David is free to stay or to leave whenever he needs to. 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." Manchester City did drop two points in David Silva's absence as they were held to a draw by Crystal Palace, but they are still leading the Premier League table with a comfortable 15-point advantage over Manchester United. Manchester City are 1/100 at Bet365 to win the Premier League title this season.