Fabio Silva insists he will be doing everything he can to help Wolves this season having returned to the squad following a year spent away from Molineux on loan.
Returning to the squad later than most of his teammates following summer exploits for Portugal in the U21 Euros, the striker pulled on the gold and black shirt for the first time in 12 months when he stepped out against his boyhood club Porto in the Algarve on Tuesday, as he came off the bench for the final 25 minutes of Wolves’ pre-season victory.
Silva got more minutes under his belt on Wednesday lunchtime in a behind-closed-doors training match against a Manchester City XI, and having come back into the Old Gold fold said he will be focusing as much as he can to learn under Julen Lopetegui so he can progress in his career, which he hopes will ultimately lead to a senior international call-up.
On giving his all in gold and black
“Whenever I’m playing, whether that’s for Wolves, or when I was at PSV or Anderlecht, I always give my best and I try to help the team. That’s what I did here today.
“As long as I’m here I’ll give everything, I’ll do my best to help the team and that will always be the key to continuing to develop and be better.
“I try to focus on the game and learning from the coaching staff. [Lopetegui] is a new coach for me, so I will try to absorb what he wants and give my best.”
On facing his former club
“It was a very special game, it's always good to come back to Portugal, to do the pre-season in our country, to feel that people support us and like us. That's very important.
“I saw familiar faces, many of them played with me – or rather, I played with them! And being able to be with the mister [former boss Sergio Conceicao] was also very important.”
On going up against Pepe
“He always puts in good performance. It's obviously difficult to play against him, but I prefer to look at him as an example. I had the opportunity to learn from him while I was at Porto, he helped me a lot to grow and prepare me for the future, for professional football.
“What he does at his age, at the highest level and together with the sacrifices he makes, is something unprecedented and brilliant. We just have to applaud and appreciate him. I hope Pepe continues like this. If he does, he can play for many more years.”
A @pedrolneto7 winner against Porto 🤗 pic.twitter.com/paI3iTVOD3
— Wolves (@Wolves) July 26, 2023
On getting to thank Conceicao
“I didn’t have the chance to say goodbye to him when I came to Wolverhampton, because everything happened so quickly. I didn’t even say goodbye to the players. So, I wanted to take this opportunity to say a word.
“He was the manager who launched me, it was he who gave me the opportunity to be tested very early and to grow up very quickly. I have to give that credit to mister Conceicao and his technical team. They helped me a lot while I was at Porto.”
On aiming for a senior Portugal cap
“It would be hypocritical if I said I wasn't thinking about it. I think everyone has ambitions to play for the senior national team and I'm one of them.
“Whether it’s at under-19, under-20 or under-21, I'll always be ready to help my country. Defending our colours in front of millions of people is something incredible.
“Whether it’s the under-21s or the senior national team, I will give my best wherever they want me, and I will do everything this season to be there.”
