He added: "Moving in these small spaces, he's really good, one of the best.
"But he's
"That was my first impression. You can play a good seasontiny, a little player, not a box-to-box player and my image of England from the outside, I thought 'maybe he's going to suffer'. but he's done it for 10 seasons, it is almost incredible. He's a huge competitor. How he reacts to the bad moments - his specific qualities help him survive in the Premier League. He should be so proud."
Spaniard Silva was recently chosen by his team-mates to take over the armband following former captain Vincent Kompany's departure.
"He has a lot of experience, knows exactly what the team needs, what he has to do," said Guardiola. "Every captain is different, has a different personality. He has to do what he believes."