News that many will be happy to hear:
"I thought he did very well when he came on [Silva was an 85th-minute substitute in the 1-1 draw against Blackburn Rovers on Saturday] but I always said that he would need time because it is very different here than playing in Spain. The internationals are over now and I think it will be time for him to play in the team from the next game."
In the wake of the draw against Blackburn, there were plenty of questions raised as to Silva's limited action given his bright showing when introduced late.
Roberto Mancini however offered mitigating circumstances as to why so little has been seen of Silva so far this season:
"The thing with Silva is that we have been able to work with him only a couple of days at a time since he arrived. He had just signed for us when he went off with his national team to play in Mexico [during the August international break]. Then he came back and very quickly was off again with the national team again, this time to play in Argentina – another long trip.
Plausible reasons of course and amidst the clamour for his introduction it is worth remembering how little time Silva has had with the squad following his involvement with Spain at the World Cup and then their international commitments this season.
That said, and I tend to agree with TLDORC on this point, that despite the dominance of during the latter stages against Blackburn, the introduction of Silva indicated that a lengthier presence could well of made the difference against a defence whose characteristics of strength and resilience were shown in abundance.
It is fair to say that Silva will still be adjusting and acclimatising to life in the Premier League, but would fifteen or twenty minutes have really been too much of a stretch as opposed to the five minutes he was granted?
Hopefully, as Mancini indicated, he is now ready to let him off the leash.