Former Manchester City assistant manager Juanma Lillo has hailed reported Liverpool transfer target Antonio Silva.
The Reds have been linked with a move for the 19-year-old, who’s currently away at the World Cup with Portugal. And, writing for The Athletic, Lillo has stated just how good he thinks Silva is.
“And then Portugal… the young centre-back from Benfica, Antonio Silva, is not even playing. Do you know how good this kid is? Incredible. He’s absurd,” the coach claimed.
Silva played 90 minutes in the dead-rubber final group game against South Korea, which Portugal lost 2-1. He’ll be hoping for some involvement when they take on Morocco in the quarter final tomorrow.
Silva building a big reputation
This is high praise for Silva – Lillo is something of a footballing genius. Having led a nomadic coaching career, he rocked up at Man City to replace Mikel Arteta as Pep Guardiola’s assistant in 2020. He stayed there for two years, leaving for Al Sadd earlier this year.
Like Guardiola, Lillo’s in-depth knowledge and obsession for the game is legendary. For him to go out of his way to praise a player who has barely featured in Qatar is worth taking note of.
Not that we didn’t know that Silva is quality already. The centre-back has been fantastic for Benfica this season, forcing his way into a stacked Portugal squad.
As a result, suggestions have been made that the Lisbon club could cash-in on him over the next transfer windows.
In light of that, Liverpool have been one of the clubs most frequently mentioned in connection with this eventuality. As per Calciomercato, the Reds could snap him up for £45m.
That sounds like a reasonable price for someone as highly rated as Silva. But, it must also be remembered that the teenager has only made 20 senior appearances.
As Liverpool begin a tentative search for Virgil van Dijk’s eventual successor, they must be careful of these ‘next big thing’s.’ A bigger sample size needs to be seen. Wait any longer though, and his price is likely to shoot up, too.
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