Bournemouth-bound António Silva may be expected to make his final Benfica appearance on Thursday. However, Marco Silva insists sentiment will play no part in his team selection.
Portuguese reports continue to indicate the defender is close to completing a move to the Premier League. As we have already covered, his transfer to Bournemouth is expected to be finalised after Benfica’s Europa League qualifier against St. Gallen.
Speaking ahead of the second leg, however, Marco Silva made it clear he is not treating the occasion as a farewell for the 22-year-old. His words were relayed by A Bola.
“I don’t prepare matches for farewells”
Asked whether António Silva’s expected departure had influenced his thinking, the Benfica manager dismissed the idea.
“I don’t prepare Benfica matches thinking about farewells or anything like that,” Marco Silva said.
“We prepare for the moment and according to the solutions we have available. We’re not picking a team to allow a player to say goodbye or not.”
Instead, the Benfica boss stressed that António Silva remains in his plans. Purely because of what he continues to show every day on the training pitch.
“António has been committed since the first day and I’ll make my decisions. If I didn’t count on António, and he’s here at this moment, then naturally it’s because I do count on him.”
Despite the defender’s agreement with Bournemouth, the manager has consistently insisted the Portugal international has remained fully committed.
Also, he deserves his place on sporting merit rather than because of the circumstances surrounding his departure.
Benfica on alert
Those comments also come as Benfica appear determined not to repeat the same situation with another key defender.
According to A Bola, the Portuguese club have already offered Tomás Araújo a new contract. This is despite his current deal running until 2029.
The proposal is worth around €1.7m (£1.5m) net per season – significantly more than the initial package Benfica presented to António Silva during their ultimately unsuccessful renewal talks.
The newspaper suggests that difference reflects the lessons Benfica believe they have learned from António Silva’s expected move to Bournemouth.
Tomás Araújo is now seen as one of the leaders of Marco Silva’s new-look defence following Nicolás Otamendi’s departure and António Silva’s imminent exit, with Benfica hoping an early renewal will avoid another contract saga in the coming years.
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