Marco Silva believes Fulham’s Willian is getting back to his best after some scintillating displays in training in the run-up to tomorrow night’s SW6 derby.
The Brazilian winger, who opened the scoring against his old club in Fulham’s first win over Chelsea for seventeen years last season, has struggled for form and fitness since struggling with an achilles injury at the start of the season. The 34 year-old had also clearly been affected by interest from Saudi Arabian sides that saw his contract extension at Craven Cottage – after last term’s sensational campaign – delayed.
Silva told Jack Kelly that he is seeing a sharper Willian in training and is confident that the Brazilian veteran will soon hit the heights that made him one of the signings of the season last year after arriving on a free transfer.
“I am finally starting to see the same Willian again in the training sessions. So sharp, so good with that extra quality he can give us. Willian is a top player, he is a class player. He is a player that the way he creates moments for us and the way he can give that extra quality for us is so so important.
It is up to me and him as well to keep himself fit, playing with a smile on his face like he is playing right now. This is one of the reasons I started with him last Wednesday, because I really think he needs more games and needs more time. I know him really well. It was not the best pre-season for him.
I know that last season he did not have a pre-season too because he arrived in the last days of August. This pre-season was not a normal one. During the Summer Series, he had some problems in his Achilles and he was not at his best. When we have a player like him with the quality, and when you have him not at 100 per cent, he probably played the first games at 70 or 80 per cent of his best. It was a tough one against Everton when I took him off at half-time. The problem in the Achilles was there.”
Silva highlighted just how important Willian remains to his tactical plans – because of his work ethic and defensive contributions.
“Willian is not just a player on the ball for us. The two wingers, Bobby De Cordova-Reid and Willian, against Palace from a tactical point of view they were brilliant. It is a position where I demand really strong performances from our two wingers. It is not an easy position to play under me. To see Willian at his age to do what he did again against Palace, what he did off the ball in that game was brilliant.”
