The inside track on Fabio Silva as Rangers told EXACTLY how to unlock new star's mega potential

Paulo Sergio reckons Fabio Silva missed a crucial step in his career development when the Portuguese ace chose to chase the wads of Wolves cash on offer at Molineux.

But the former Hearts gaffer thinks Rangers might just be the right rung on the ladder for his compatriot to begin his climb back to the top. The highly-rated Porto kid was just 18 when he was lured away from his boyhood club by a £35million deal that included a reported £80,000-a-week pay packet. However, it’s been a case of too much too soon for the young striker, with that eye-watering financial package serving only to inflate expectation levels upon his arrival in England.

Understandably, the teenager struggled to live up to his big money billing, managing just five goals in 73 appearances for the Premier League outfit. Loan moves to Dutch side PSV Eindhoven and Anderlecht in Belgium last term provided the Portugal Under-21 frontman with a more suitable level to kick start his career.

Now aged 21, he’s joined Gers on another six-month loan deal and Sergio sees it as a step in the right direction for a player with everything to prove. “I think he moved to England too soon,” the ex-Gorgie gaffer told Record Sport. “It was a huge step for him at that time. It happens with a lot of players. Nowadays, clubs are looking to buy players very young. We saw it here in Portugal when Joao Felix left Benfica to join Atletico Madrid when he was only 19. But it was too early for him and we saw a break in his progression.

“That happened with Fabio too. I just hope he can recover and get back to the path he was on at Porto as soon as possible. When I look at what he was showing here in Portugal and the type of player he was becoming, I just think it was important for him