Bruno Lage: Fabio Silva staying at Wolves

Still only 19 years old and now in his second season for the club, the £35million signing has had limited opportunities so far under Lage.

He has yet to start in the Premier League and has had to settle for cameo appearances off the bench, while his two starts in the Carabao Cup saw mixed results – with one good performance against Nottingham Forest followed by a poor showing against Spurs that saw him taken off at half-time.

Silva also recently dropped down to play for the under-23s and impressed as he bagged a goal against Sunderland.

Now, Lage has ruled out a loan for the forward as he challenges him to fight for his place in the team.

Lage said: “Fabio, for me, is in my plans. I see him as a striker.

“Sometimes what is important at this age is not to run away from the challenge. The challenge is here.

“Football is not about comfort, it is about fighting for what you want. In the end it is good to have the things you want because you worked and earned it on pitch and training hard every day. Fabio is working hard every day. I have a past of working with young kids and they want things to happen very quickly.

“I’m 45 and don’t think I’m an old guy, but every day I have to work for what I have. The younger kids need to fight. Show me things.”

Meanwhile, Lage has urged Pedro Neto to have patience in his recovery from a broken kneecap.

The forward suffered a setback in his recovery over the summer, with Lage announcing in August that he may return sometime in November.

When asked for an update on his condition, Lage said: “He is working well but he needs time.

“I spoke with him and he wants to come as soon as possible, but he needs to understand his body and what happened with him and go step by step. So that when he comes he’s 100 per cent to help us.

“The players are the guys who know better their colleagues, so they know he’s an important guy who can help us. They are waiting for him and give him in the moment what he needs to recover well.”

On the injuries to Meritan Shabani and Bruno Jordao, Lage added: “They are still working with the physios. Not yet with us, they need more time to prepare and then start training with the team.”