Fabio Silva earned his first Portugal senior cap as the Wolves star made his debut in a 1-1 draw with Croatia on Monday night.
The last 12 months have been a whirlwind for the Wolves star. After being handed the number nine shirt at the Old Gold, the youngster proved that he was still unready for Premier League football after failing to score a goal in the top flight last season.
A loan move to Scotland followed when he joined Rangers in the January window. Here, he also failed to impress, with Silva going viral for a comical miss in the Scottish Cup semi-finals.
From here, it was clear that Wolves wanted to sell Silva in the summer, but no suitors were prepared to pay for the flop.
This resulted in a loan move to Spanish side Las Palmas where he has seemingly turned around his career.
After three goals in nine La Liga games, Silva was called up to the Portugal senior squad for the first time and has now been rewarded with his debut.
Fabio Silva completes ‘dream achievement’ after making his senior Portugal debut
Despite achieving little in his Old Gold career, there is still a chance for Silva to become a top player.
This was evident on Monday night when the 22-year-old made his debut as a substitute in the 71st minute.
After the game, he told Canal 11 via MaisFutebol: “I think I’m still coming to terms with my debut, it’s the culmination of several years. I’m grateful to Las Palmas, because I think what I’ve done at the club has helped me to be here. I’d also like to thank the coach for the call-up and my teammates for welcoming me in the best way possible. I’m very happy with my debut.
“Roberto Martínez asked me to help the team and implement my game, at a time when we had to defend a bit more. I’m doing things well to be able to be in this space and the coach recognised that merit. Things will happen naturally.
“During the break of the last U21 game, Rui Jorge told Geovany Quenda and I that we were going to be called up to the A team and I was very happy. For me, these were dream days and the achievement of a goal.”
Wolves need to capitalise on Fabio Silva’s Portugal debut
While Silva’s form is no doubt improving, it is clear that his future at Wolves is over.
The two have just not mixed since he made the £35 million move to Molineux in 2020. Even though the striker is now showing signs of his former potential, cashing in on the youngster as soon as possible is best for both parties.
It is believed that Wolves still want to sell Silva in the summer, and now he has made his Portugal debut, Matt Hobbs needs to take advantage of this and bring in extra cash for him.
The one thing Wolves cannot afford to do is give the striker another chance next season, especially as he will be entering the last year of his contract.