ROB Edwards is the first to admit Sammy Silvera is not a natural fit at left wing-back.
However, the way the Australian winger has tackled his return to Middlesbrough following failed loan appearances last season, as well as the challenge of playing in an unfamiliar position, has greatly delighted the head coach.
While Boro will continue to prioritise the recruitment of a left wing-back before the transfer deadline, Silvera appears to have done enough this summer to earn a place in Edwards’ plans for the coming season.
And for that, following a miserable year of two failed loan spells at Portsmouth and Blackpool, the 24-year-old deserves a lot of credit.
As Edwards has already stated, Silvera knocked on his door early in the summer and expressed his desire to continue making a success of his time at the club, despite the understandable anticipation that he would be transferred on.
And Silvera has done just that, catching the attention during preseason and most certainly making his way into the starting lineup for Saturday’s Championship opener against Swansea City.
“Fans want to see people who want to play for the club and play with passion, and Sammy’s certainly doing that,” according to Edwards.
“He’s making a good effort. He isn’t perfect, but neither are any of us. He will make mistakes; after all, he is a human being. However, he demonstrates a great deal of effort, endeavour, and quality at the appropriate times. That’s all we can ask of anyone.
Silvera had his greatest performance of the summer in the last friendly versus Deportivo over the weekend.
With Alex Bangura out injured and Edwards envisioning Neto Borges as a left-sided centre-back, Silvera is presently at the top of the left wing-back pecking order.
Reinforcements will arrive, with Columbus Crew’s Max Arfsten as the primary target.
Even if Silvera does not stay a first-choice player or a guaranteed starter, he is now very much in Edwards’ plans.
“As I previously told you, he came to see me at the start of the summer and told me how much he wanted to be here and try and be a part of it,” stated the coach’s boss.
“I told him, ‘right, go show me.'” He’s been playing in an unfamiliar position. Where I am, and trying to place square pegs in square holes, he is the closest I can get to a square for that position at the moment. He did a wonderful job of it.
“That was a difficult game for him [against Deportivo] as well, because he had to make a lot of key decisions, such as whether to go out or come back in alongside the center halves. He also added some finished product, which was wonderful.”
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