BACK OF THE NETO
Boss Silva wary of ‘dangerous’ winger v
MARCO SILVA believes Wolves wide man Pedro Neto has the potential to become Portuguese football’s next superstar.
Neto, whose performances for Gary O’neil’s side have seen him linked with a move to Arsenal, will face off against his compatriot at Molineux today and the Fulham boss admits he is a huge fan of the 23-year-old.
Silva (right) said: “He is a top player, a top winger and can even play as a striker in a little bit of a different model, as he can get in from behind.
“He is a very dangerous player for them and when the game is going well for his side, on a good day he can make a difference like he has several times this season.”
Neto has been a key figure in Wolves’ impressive campaign and trails only Ollie Watkins in the assists charts with nine – one less than the in-form Aston Villa striker – despite missing eight games through injury earlier this season.
He has already won five caps for his county but missed the 2022 World Cup due to injury, but Silva believes he will be a key man for his country at this summer’s Euros.
“He is already a very important player for the national team and I am sure he will be in the future,” said Silva.
Adama Traore faces his former club for the first time since his departure in June but
Silva said the 28-yearold still needs to prove he is consistent enough to start games.
Traore has missed most of this season due to injury but has made a big impact off the bench recently and scored his first goal in last week’s 3-0 win over Brighton, a week after setting up Alex Iwobi’s memorable winner against Manchester United.
Silva said: “Well done to him but it wasn’t just the goal against Brighton, we scored a good one against Manchester United after he ran 40 metres with the ball.
“It was a great moment and more difficult than the one he scored against Brighton. But let’s keep working with him and give him the confidence and then in 10 games time we can hopefully talk about his consistency.”
Joao Palhinha will returns from a twomatch ban but may have to be content with a place on the bench due to the excellent form of Sasa
Lukic.