THE OLD GOLDEN WONDER
Silva’s a joy for Nuno
NUNO ESPIRITO SANTO says Fabio Silva is ahead of the game as far as Premier League strikers are concerned.
The Portuguese wonderkid – signed last summer for £35million – has found the net just three times since joining from Porto.
He bagged his first for Wolves in the reverse fixture with Burnley at Turf Moor in December – converting a late spot-kick.
Silva, 18, gave a glimpse of his talent a couple of weeks ago after scoring against West Ham.
But his appearances otherwise have suggested he is far from the finished product.
And Wolves boss Nuno (right)
– who confirmed he is staying at Molineux amid reported interest from managerless Spurs – said the price tag initially weighed heavy and comparisons with other top-flight hitmen are irrelevant because of his age.
Nuno said: “I see improvement in Fabio. It’s different for him now I think. At the start of the season, he started many games. And he started to feel the obligation to score.
“But there was no need. That was not the main focus for him.
“We always wanted him to get a feeling for the game because the Premier League is totally different in terms of the intensity and strength of the opponents that he was used to.
“He’s a very talented player inside the box and that’s what we expect from him.
“He’s still very young. You cannot compare to almost every other striker in the Premier League at the same age. None of them were having the minutes that he is on the pitch.”
Wolves have won just one of their nine last league outings against Burnley and they went down to a 2-1 defeat in East Lancashire just prior to Christmas.
Nuno added: “They have a good manager, good players and they are compact in defence. They’re tough.”