Silva tweeted a photo of City team-mate Benjamin Mendy as a child alongside a dated image from Spanish confectionary 'Conguitos' that has been criticised for its racist connotations, with the caption: "Guess who?".

Mendy did not appear to take offence, replying with laughing emojis and a message saying: "1-0 for you will see".

However, other Twitter users were quick to point out the racist implications of the post, which was shared less than 24 hours after Silva scored a hat-trick in an 8-0 home win over Watford in Premier League action. 

The Portugal international deleted the entry, tweeting: "Can't even joke with a friend these days…You guys…".

Having already announced on Sunday they would be investigating the post, the FA has confirmed to Omnisport it has contacted the Premier League club for a response on the matter.

Meanwhile, Kick It Out, football's equality and inclusion organisation, called for retrospective action to be taken against the 25-year-old.

"We are extremely disappointed to see the tweet posted by Bernardo Silva, which has since been deleted," Kick It Out said in a statement.

"Racist stereotypes are never acceptable as 'banter', and we're shocked that someone who is a role model to millions has failed to understand the discriminatory nature of his post.

"The FA have been notified and we believe that retrospective action should be taken, including mandatory education – which is vital to challenge offensive behaviour such as this."