Kaizer Chiefs head coach Nasreddine Nabi has heaped praise on new signing Flavio Silva after the forward made a dream start to life at Naturena with a match-winning goal on debut.
The Portuguese striker, whose arrival was met with some doubts from sections of the fanbase, proved decisive in Chiefs’ 1-0 victory over Golden Arrows this past weekend. Silva struck the only goal of the game to secure Amakhosi’s fourth win of the Betway Premiership campaign, immediately making his mark in black and gold.
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Speaking after the encounter, Nabi expressed his delight at Silva’s contribution and backed him to silence critics.
“I think, first of all, I am very happy for Silva. He came in today, in his first official game, he scored. We can only be happy, the staff and everyone. I thank him, he gave a lot of effort and he scored. That’s what we expect from an attacker,” Nabi told the media.
The Tunisian mentor dismissed suggestions that Silva had been under pressure before his debut, insisting that both the technical team and the supporters had shown faith in him.
“I think Silva, we never criticised Silva because he didn’t play. The fans supported Silva, they didn’t criticise him. In the beginning, the real fans supported him. We know he is an experienced player, he played in Africa, he is a child of the Kaizer Chiefs team,” Nabi continued.
The 29-year-old striker was brought in to add firepower to a Chiefs side that has struggled in front of goal in recent seasons. Nabi believes that with the right work ethic and mindset, Silva can become an important figure in his plans.
“He has to work seriously, really, and in a very intelligent way. He has to take advantage of the recruitment, of good players around him, and all that,” Nabi concluded.
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