Fabio Silva admits the support from the Wolves fans at Molineux on Wednesday evening has given him ‘100 per cent confidence’ going into the new Premier League season.
The Portuguese forward starred in the pre-season friendly against Luton Town earlier this week where he received an ovation from the Wolves supporters, but Silva insists he will give his all for the Old Gold the season, and has no point to prove, after returning to Wolves following a year away on loan with Anderlecht and PSV Eindhoven.
On the Wolves support
“Since I’ve come back to Wolves, this is the first day I’ve felt the love from the fans, the way they loved me. After the games and after the seasons sometimes in the bad moments they stay behind me and they never let me down and they stay with me all the time, so I appreciate this a lot.
“I always say that the fans are the most important thing in football and without them we are not the same.
“At this club, I think we need them more than at others, we feel their energy and feel better when we have the fans, so I wanted to say to the fans thank you for your support, I hope you stay with me and behind me for all of the season and after, we’re going to see.”
On fans giving him confidence
“My confidence is more than 100 per cent because I feel happy, I feel the love from the fans and I feel the love from everyone with me in the training ground – the people that work on the kitchen, the people that work on everything, they show me love, they show me they want me here.
“Today the fans sing for me and this is the most important for me. The fans are always with me, I love them, so I’m going to give 100 per cent for them and for this club.
“I’m so happy. I need to feel this confidence from the team, from the players, from the staff and from the fans, so it’s good to come back and see the way they love me, the way they appreciate my game and the way I played, so I’m very happy to be here.
“I’ve said before that I’m going to try to help the team with my football, and after that, there are other things that don’t depend on me.”
On a season away from Molineux
“It's been good. For me, having a season away was good because I needed this for the start of my career. I feel happy and this time I need to play, I need to feel important, to score goals and get some assists.
“Last season I got the chance to go to some other places and feel this, and it was amazing, both teams I played for were amazing and it felt very good, and I was very proud, so I’ve tried to continue my work every day, try to learn because I am only 21-years-old so I still have lots of things to learn, but it’s what I choose to do every day.”
On working with Lopetegui
“He's been good ever since I arrived to the squad out in Portugal in pre-season. We had our first conversation together, we spoke about many points, and we are working on the training ground to feel better as a team, to understand his ideas and what he wants from me in the game.
“I think we have a lot of work to do, not just with me but with the whole team because I think we have a lot of conditions to do a great season. But we are all together, and this is the most important.”
On not having a point to prove
“I’m a Wolves player and I’m going to do the same as I do always, to help the team to put in the pitch my football, the way I play, my runs, my energy, so I don’t have anything to prove to anyone.
“What I have to prove is to be myself every single day, to be myself in every single game, and after, with the support of the fans, with the support of my family and friends, then things are going to happen.”
