£80k-a-week Wolves man needs redemption and Gary O’Neil must consider him for Fulham start – opinion
Wolves are back in Premier League action on Monday night against Fulham – and Gary O’Neil ought to consider starting Fabio Silva.
Wanderers will be looking to build on the brilliant 2-1 win over Tottenham Hotspur before the international break that saw Pablo Sarabia and Mario Lemina both score in injury time.
That was a hugely satisfying result, considering what happened against Sheffield United the weekend before.
At the centre of the frustrating defeat to the Blades was Fabio Silva, who was cruelly adjudged to have fouled George Baldock in the penalty area, right at the death.
United scored the penalty, Wolves lost the game and Silva was reduced to tears.
It’s Fulham up next for Wolves – and it’s surely a reasonable chance for Silva to get redemption…
Fabio Silva needs chance to bounce back for Wolves after Bramall Lane nightmare
Silva had not enjoyed the best of cameos and then he conceded the penalty, but everyone knows it should never have been awarded.
He looked distraught, and a minority then laid into Silva on social media which was extremely disappointing to see.
So it’s been a tough time for the 21-year-old, who didn’t get any minutes against Spurs and therefore had no chance to ‘atone’.
He’s had a couple of weeks to stew on what happened at Bramall Lane, and one wonders if this game with Fulham is actually a good opportunity for O’Neil to throw him back into the starting XI. Especially with Arsenal coming up after the Cottagers.
Marco Silva’s side have not been particularly good defensively this season having shipped 20 goals in their 12 games so far – only six Premier League sides have conceded more.
It made sense that O’Neil did not give £80,000-a-week Silva any minutes against Spurs, but Fulham do represent a chance for Silva to perhaps get some redemption.
The international break has just seen Hwang Hee-chan travel to South Korea and China, and it’s possible the forward may be feeling somewhat jaded coming back to Molineux. He did feature for at least 70 minutes across two matches, so perhaps O’Neil may wish to rotate to keep his current best player in peak condition. Matheus Cunha did not get called up for Brazil this time around, but has featured heavily for Wolves and might also be due for a rest ahead of a hectic period.
O’Neil has spoken about Silva this week, saying the youngster has ‘worked harder’ than at the start of the season and that ‘he’s really trying to force his way in’.
Silva needs a chance to get over what happened at Bramall Lane. He’s an emotional player and it feels as though he needs the opportunity to get that debacle out of his head and put it firmly behind him.
With Fulham having lost three of their last four games, O’Neil has surely got to at least consider it, especially with Wolves in pretty good form as a collective.
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