Manchester United defender Diogo Dalot has spoken up to defend Antonio Silva after a nightmare performance at Euro 2024.
Portugal’s Antonio Silva – the £85 million, Manchester United linked Antonio Silva – had a game to forget in his country’s 2-0 defeat to Georgia.
It was Silva’s first start at the European Championships. It may also be his last. And with Manchester United scouring the market for potential alternatives to Everton’s Jarrad Branthwaite, the sight of Silva gift-wrapping both of Georgia’s goals will may have the Red Devils opting to stay clear of the Benfica youngster.
Nightmare night at Euro 2024 for Manchester United target
Only a minute-and-a-half was on the clock when Silva’s blind pass into midfield was picked off. There was no catching the sparkling Khvicha Kvaratskhelia either when Georgia’s twinkle-toed talisman then raced in behind him on the counter before slotting past Diogo Costa.
“Antonio Silva has an absolute nightmare here,” a bemused Ally McCoist said during his commentary role for ITV Sport (26 June, 8pm). “Shocking pass. And the problem he’s got there is Kvaratskhelia has at least a yard on him
“Oh dear me, Antonio Silva. So slack in the opening period of the game. And, at this level, you just get absolutely punished.”
This was not the first time Silva coughed up possession under minimal pressure either. A promising Portugal attack broke down on the stroke of half time after a similarly misplaced pass. To think, distribution was supposed to be one of Silva’s strong points.
A bad night would become a dreadful one early in the second-half, meanwhile. Silva throwing out an errant leg as he gave away the clumsiest of penalties. Georges Mikautadze, the tournament’s top scorer, converted from 12 yards, Georgia setting up a last-16 clash with Spain as Portugal suffered a shock defeat without their talisman Bruno Fernandes.
Though, in Silva’s defence, you can probably count on one hand the number of players who have not endured an evening like this at some point in their career.
Even the greatest and most experienced players are not immune to errors. Silva is still only 20, too. He has more than a decade to iron out those kinks.
“Anyone who is Portuguese should be proud to have a youngster with so much potential in our national team,” Fulham’s Joao Palhinha tells O Jogo, insisting that Silva can only come back stronger.
“Footballers go through these moments. Antonio has a lot of potential. This is not going to affect his growth. In fact, it will give him more strength to continue growing as a player and I have no doubt that our dear Antonio will be ready to give his all in the next game.”
Diogo Dalot backs Portugal team-mate Antonio Silva
Silva, who has been scouted by United alongside Benfica and Portugal team-mate Joao Neves per Fabrizio Romano on The United Stand, also has the backing of Old Trafford’s own Diogo Dalot. Neves, by the way, struggled too on the night, forced onto the periphery by the physicality of this Georgia side.
“He is very strong psychologically,” Dalot tells SIC Noticias, the Man United right-back starting on Wednesday. “We are a strong group. He knows we are with him. Individual mistakes will always happen in football and he is more than prepared for that.
“He takes that responsibility too. He has to. But we are a team until to the end.”
Still, while confidence remains high in Antonio Silva in the Portuguese camp, this was certainly not a performance which will have Man United rushing to trigger the eye-watering £86 million release clause in his contract.