West Ham United U23s forward Xande Silva has revealed he believes the Development Squad’s success throughout the 2019/20 campaign derives from ‘going out to win every game‘.
Despite being absent for the first half of the campaign due to an operation on his stomach last summer, Silva returned in February to make an instant impact for Dmitri Halajko’s side, netting three times and chipping in with an assists in four appearances.
The Portugal striker made his senior debut for the Hammers back in 2018 as a second-half substitute in West Ham’s 2-0 defeat to Burnley at Turf Moor.
The 23-year-old’s hot form on his return to action this year saw him nominated for the Premier League 2 Player of the Month award for February, while helping the U23s keep their unbeaten record in tact at the top of the league.
The season may be on hold amid the current COVID-19 pandemic, but Silva – who spoke to the club’s official website prior to the suspension – revealed the reasons behind their success. He said: “We play the same way every game.”
“We go out to win every game and that’s what we always do.
“In every game, we try to do what we do every day in training and that’s it. Every day we try our best, and that’s what we’ll keep doing.”
Halajko’s side adopt the philosophy of free-flowing, attacking football; scoring three or more goals in 17 of their 25 matches this season exemplifies just that.
And that suits Silva. The pacey, tricky forward possesses attributes that can trouble any defender and he was delighted to return from his lengthy lay-off. He said: “It’s been very good to be back after a long time out injured.
“For me, a football player needs to be confident going into every game because it’s our job.
“Football is our work, it’s our life, our family, everything comes together, so we need to play confidently.”
The resumption of English football is still unclear amid the COVID-19 pandemic, but should the 2019/20 campaign continue following these unprecedented times, Silva and Halajko’s side will have great optimism of concluding the season at the top of the Premier League 2.
