A Star in the Making? Liverpool’s Toni Silva

Toni Brito Silva Sa, to give him his full name, is a Portuguese 16 year old of Guinean descent who was bought by Liverpool at the start of this season. Top European clubs and some Premier League outfits had been chasing the youngster for some time but Liverpool eventually got their man. Chelsea were especially keen in signing the player when former Portugal boss Luiz Felipe Scolari was in charge last season but their interest tailed off once the Brazilian was sacked mid way through the last campaign. Silva then was given a trial by Fulham at the start of the season and played against Liverpool’s Under 16s in a 3-1 defeat. Despite losing the match, Silva stood out from the crowd and the Reds followed up their interest with his club Benfica, where he had trained as a youth player.

In October 2009, Liverpool signed 16 year old Silva from Benfica for approximately €300,000, and he has subsequently begun to impress at both Under 16 and Under 18 levels. The most noticeable thing about Silva is his height. At both Under 16 and Under 18 levels, he stands tall above his team-mates and opponents, and it gives him a fairly good height advantage when heading the ball. But amazingly, this is not where his strengths lie. A winger by trade, who can play on either wing, Silva is a very skilful player who loves taking on opposition full backs and utilising his dribbling skills. Strong on a ball and a direct forward runner, he loves his step-overs and on occasion he can frustrate by not choosing the right option and losing possession. His height also makes him an unorthodox winger and his lanky demeanour could make him more suited to a striker role if it wasn’t for his natural skill on the ball.

Silva has however impressed greatly in his first months at the Kirkby Academy. He is quick with a good left foot, but during his time with the Liverpool Under 18s especially, he has more often played on the right side while Tom Ince takes his position on the left. It certainly hasn’t hampered his performances though. He scored on debut while on trial back in September, scoring the second goal in a 2-0 win over Barnsley for the Under 18s after coming on for Michael Ngoo. In the last few months though, he has really begun to impress. In early March, he played for the under 16s against Leeds United, scoring two goals and assisting another in a 3-1 victory. He played the support striker role during the match. For his first goal, he collected the ball inside the opposition half, past two defenders and slotted the ball past the keeper calmly from the edge of the penalty area. He then created Liverpool’s second goal, causing trouble in the Leeds defence and beating a number of players before he got his cross in from the wing, the initial ball was blocked but he picked up the loose ball and crossed an excellent ball for a Reds player to finish the move. He completed his top class performance with another goal in the second half to seal victory for the Reds.

A week later, Silva was selected as a sub for the Under 18s against Derby County and after coming on in the second half, he scored two quick fire goals within 5 minutes after the hour mark. Such performances have allowed Silva to establish himself on the right wing in recent matches, and with Tom Ince possibly moving up to the reserves next season, he may well be a regular in his preferred left wing position next season. A prospect to look out for in the next couple of years.

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