Portugal manager Roberto Martínez has revealed Wolverhampton Wanderers’ Fábio Silva has long been on his radar.
On Friday, Portugal secured a 5-1 win over Poland in the UEFA Nations League. After the tie, the national team manager spoke to the reporters about the striker and his comments are relayed by O Jogo.
The Wolves man hasn’t made his debut for Portugal’s senior team. He received a late call up from the former Everton manager this month, due to injuries to other attackers.
After spending the second half of last season on loan at Rangers, Wolves let him join UD Las Palmas on summer deadline day. The 22-year-old has impressed for the La Liga side, scoring three goals and registering one assist from nine games.
Silva’s performances have further improved after Diego Martínez was appointed as Las Palmas’ new manager in October. Mundo Deportivo said he has been a ‘revelation’ for the Spanish club in recent fixtures.
Martínez and his coaching staff have been keeping close tabs on the Wolves owned player. He insists the frontman has benefited from his decision to leave Gary O’Neil’s side in the last window.
“We’ve been following Silva for many months, because he’s a player who has a lot of good movement, has the ability to open up spaces, to play behind the opponent’s goal,” he said.
“Going to a new club has given him more impact in the area, his numbers have improved a lot. He’s a different player, there’s no Fábio Silva in the squad at the moment. He’s worked hard and deserves to be at this level now.”