Wolves striker Fabio Silva has claimed that he has ‘nothing to prove’ while on loan at Rangers.
Fabio Silva was a player who was hyped up massively when he switched Porto for the Premier League in 2020.
After all, he was captured for a club-record £35 million fee from the Portuguese giants and was compared to footballing icon Cristiano Ronaldo.
Unfortunately, he hasn’t lived up to one of the all-time greats during his time at Wolves and has been regularly vilified for how much he cost.
Silva arrived at Molineux as an 18-year-old with a huge weight of expectation on his shoulders but instead of thriving under that pressure, he’s crumbled.
The striker – who has scored ten goals in 19 appearances for Portugal’s U21s – hasn’t delivered close to that level of scoring for Wolves.
During three-and-a-half years in England, he’s only produced five goals and six assists in 72 appearances for the Old Gold.
As a result, Silva was loaned out on two separate occasions last term, netting 11 in 32 appearances for Anderlecht and then five goals in 19 matches for PSV Eindhoven from January onwards.
The 21-year-old returned to Wolves in the summer but only played 262 minutes of top-flight football under Gary O’Neil before being loaned out to Rangers this month.
Following two productive loan spells last term, Silva has fired back at those who claim he has to prove himself in Scotland.
Fabio Silva says he’s got ‘nothing to prove’
A return of 16 goals from spells in Holland and Belgium is respectable for a player who was short on confidence.
That hasn’t, however, managed to hush the doubters down south who continue to question whether he’s cut out for the English top-flight.
Speaking from Rangers training camp in La Manga, Silva hit back and said: “I don’t need to think like that. I don’t need to prove nothing to anyone.
“I need to prove it to myself and that’s the most important thing every day. With all the clubs I’ve played for, I’ve tried to give my best.”
“Last season was amazing for me in Belgium and Holland. The results are there, the numbers are there so everyone can see it. But I don’t need to prove nothing to anyone. For me the most important thing is to work every single day to be better than yesterday.”
Can Silva work his way into O’Neil’s plans?
If Silva smashes it in the Scotland and perhaps fires the Gers’ to the Premiership title, it would be interesting to see whether he’d get another chance at Wolves.
Given the Scottish Premiership is far below the standard of England’s top flight, a loan north of the border won’t change the perceptions that supporters have towards him.
Ultimately, he’s proven that he isn’t of the standard required to play in the Premier League and although he hasn’t been helped by those around him, O’Neil has since discovered how to get a tune out of his forwards.
Hwang Hee-Chan has been phenomenal and is breaking all sorts of records this term while Matheus Cunha is pulling off a redemption arc that Silva would be jealous of.
Once he does return from his loan, opportunities would likely be at a premium once more and he may have no other option but to find a new club.