I think he is very talented in terms of dribbling and ball control but in recent times whenever former footballers are asked about future balon d or contenders,his name is always mentioned but he is 23 years of age now and still he is not a starter for man City ,his best position is up for debate(rw or advanced 8)and while he has put in some good performances for city I have not seen enough from him to say he will be a future balon d or contender consistently. He seems like Bernardo Silva level player to me which is a very good player but not a balon d or contender(consistently) player.He also resembles him in style quite a bit.
He’s a bit of a wildcard imo. You don’t know what kind of form you’re going to get from him.
For that reason he’s a good option from the bench. If he was consistently as good as he can be at the top of his game, he would be a starter. So yeah, I think you are right - although comparing him to Bernardo (who is one of the most quietly consistent players in the league, and clearly one of the best) is probably wide of the mark.