Leeds United fans saw Marco Silvestri arrive with many others from the Italian leagues, such as Mirco Antenucci, Giuseppe Bellusci and Gaetano Berardi when Massimo Cellino first took over the club. This wave of Italian imports experienced mixed fortunes at Elland Road, Silvestri amongst them. However, things are looking up for the 29-year-old since moving on from the Whites according to website Calciomercato.
Calciomercato carry the words of an interview that Silvestri undertook with journalist Nicolo Schira on Schira’s Instagram. That interview covered the whole gamut of things from his early moments and experiences in football through to his time at Leeds United and beyond.
He spent three campaigns at Elland Road, the first two as undisputed #1 keeper and, in total, racked up 98 appearances for the Whites, conceding 123 times and keeping 23 clean sheets. However, his third campaign saw him relegated to the substitute’s bench behind new-choice #1 Rob Green, the former England keeper, in Garry Monk’s Leeds United set-up.
After arriving from Chievo Verona for £450,000 in early July 2014, Silvestri left the Whites after that third season at the club and in mid-July 2017 joined current club Hellas Verona with whom he gained promotion to Italy’s top-tier, Serie A competition last season. It was his three clean sheets and just three goals conceded in five Serie B play-off games that saw Hellas promoted.
Silvestri has continued that good form in Serie A and has kept nine clean sheets in 25 games this season, conceding just 26 goals. It is these performances that have helped Hellas Verona hit 8th place in the league and they are currently just four points shy of Napoli in the last of the Europa League places. He’s also shown the form that has gotten him noticed by other Serie A sides with Inter Milan amongst those credited with keeping tabs on him.
On this interest, the former Whites keeper said: “We players, even if we don’t give a lot, I think, we read and look at everything. There’s no need to deny it, it’s very nice to be linked to a great club. Now it’s [too] early to talk about it; now there is Verona and I think only of them.”
From being dumped to the bench under the apparent whims of Massimo Cellino, to potentially qualifying for Europe with Hellas Verona and even interest from Serie A giants Inter Milan – Marco Silvestri has come a long way over recent years.
