Wolves journalist Liam Keen had given his thoughts on Fabio Silva ahead of their game in the FA Cup this upcoming weekend.
Bruno Lage’s side take on Sheffield United in the third round of the competition at Molineux on Sunday, and with teams often putting out weakened sides for the FA Cup with their priorities focused on matters in the league, there is always a chance that the youngster could get some minutes against the Championship side.
Minutes have been something that Silva has been starved of this season, amassing just 43 minutes of football in the Premier League, with his only two starts coming in the Carabao Cup earlier in the campaign.
Speaking on the latest edition of the E&S Wolves podcast, Keen talked about Silva’s place in the side and whether or not he expected him to get any minutes against the Blades, as well as hinting at what could lie ahead in his future.
He said: “For the Sheffield United game, I would play Fabio. I totally agree with you that I thought Fabio was very good when he came off the bench [against Manchester United]. Very tenacious, holding the ball up and winning balls against the likes of [Raphael] Varane and [Phil] Jones, making good runs. He helps hold the ball up that led to the [Ruben] Neves pass to [Adama] Traore that led to the goal.
“So yeah, I would play him purely because he’s had very, very limited minutes. But he showed something, Fabio did, which is what we want and he’s done in a couple of other games.
“I would start him purely because he needs minutes. And also, it’s not impossible, that Wolves will consider sending him on loan. So if he can show something in this game and prove that he wants to stay there and can be useful, then they’ll keep hold of him.”
TIF Thoughts on Liam Keen’s comments about Fabio Silva at Wolves…
Should Wolves keep Fabio Silva?
Yes
No
This game certainly does come across as something of a make-or-break opportunity for Silva, and giving him the chance to play could provide some clarity on his future for a number of reasons.
If he puts in a good performance, then as Keen hints at, that could lead the club deciding to play him more often going forward. Alternatively, it could make the club think that loaning him out to a Championship club might help him develop whilst he plays at a level more suited to his talents.
And if he doesn’t play well, then it might be a big indicator that it might well be time to just cut their losses and get rid of him. Either way, it would be rather foolish for Wolves not to play him and at least try to establish what his future at the club is set to look like.
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