“Patience is needed” Wolves boss Nuno on Fábio Silva, Vitinha progress
Wolverhampton Wanderers coach Nuno Espírito Santo has insisted that young Portuguese striker Fábio Silva will not be rushed into action at the English club following his high-profile move from FC Porto.
Silva, 18, joined Wolves in a surprise deal worth over €40m in September, with midfielder Vítor "Vitinha" Ferreira also heading to Molineux from Estádio do Dragão. Both players are being introduced gradually, with neither having started in the Premier League as of yet, but Nuno says the process of acclimatising to their new surroundings is being managed carefully.
“The players are all different,” he said ahead of this weekend’s match with Crystal Palace. “Some already came with competition experience, some young players are out of their family environment for the first time, but it’s been good, and they are integrated.
“The squad and team spirit is what can help us in this situation, and then we work with them on the training ground, and give them space to grow.
“What I wish is to give them more competitive games as soon as possible. Vítor [Ferreira] was involved in the under-23s game and it was good for him. It’s looking at the players individually and finding the best steps for him. For Vítor, it was good because the shape is the same, the routines are the same, and he has 90 minutes under his belt now.
“Goalscorer” Silva working hard
“Fábio Silva? Patience and hard work [is needed], but this is what Fábio is doing, he’s working very hard, every minute of training sessions. He has to be very useful.
“He’s been involved in previous games and always with the team, but he’s an option and I think he can help us. He’s a goalscorer and can help us.
“He has to improve, he has to grow and he has to compete and I think he’ll be ready. He’s very young and in a growing process, but he felt the physicality, especially in the game against Stoke, and now he’s getting ready, and with our help he’s realising what he has to do to take advantage of his talent.
“He’s starting to speak better English, communicating better, so step by step, but he’ll get there. It requires time. It’s a big change and he’s doing very well, he’s settling down, and he has the squad to help him.”
By Sean Gillen