MX23RW : Friday, March 29 02:28:21| >> :120:6368:6368:

Marco Silva has "no concerns" over Idrissa Gueye to Manchester United rumour

Marco Silva has
© Reuters
Gueye has been a regular under Silva this season.

Everton manager Marco Silva has played down speculation linking Idrissa Gana Gueye with a summer switch to Manchester United and remains hopeful of holding on to Kurt Zouma and Andre Gomes.

Gueye has been a regular under Silva this season but it has been reported in several outlets this week that the Senegal midfielder is wanted by new United boss Ole Gunnar Solskjaer.

Silva, though, was phlegmatic when asked about the transfer rumour and any others that may come his way in the next couple of months, preferring instead to highlight Gueye's contributions to the Toffees.

"It's news to me," he said. "(We have) no concerns about that or all the other speculation in the media that will come in the next few days or weeks.

"It's something natural but I'm not here to answer all the possible rumours.

"What is important to me, if you're asking about Gana, is how he's performing well, how he's helping our team with full focus, working hard every day to perform like he did in the last game."

Zouma and Gomes are nearing the end of season-long loans from Chelsea and Barcelona respectively although the pair have impressed during their time at Goodison Park.

Asked if permanent deals are in the offing – and whether they could be completed before the end of the season – Silva replied: "There's always a chance but it's not something that is just in our hands.

"They are happy here which is a good sign, that means they are performing, they are enjoying and they are helping us.

"We are happy with them, it's up to us to do what we can to keep them and it's up to the clubs, also. And it's up to them, it's not just in our hands.

"It's in the players' minds and decisions after their own clubs. They have to decide together. In the right moment, we'll do something."

Zouma was singled out for praise by Silva, who believes the Frenchman is capable of becoming an elite centre-half.

Silva said: "I can see in him very good qualities to be a very, very good central defender. He is in the moment but he has all the conditions to improve to become a high-level central defender in my opinion.

"I'm happy with him but I'm the first one demanding from him to keep improving because he has the quality to do that."

Everton have won their last three games without conceding, a run that has enhanced their hopes of a seventh-placed finish in the Premier League and a spot in next season's Europa League.

Silva feels Everton should be regularly competing in Europe – despite only qualifying in two of the last eight seasons.

Ahead of this weekend's fixture at already-relegated Fulham, the Portuguese added: "One of the things, looking to the future of our club, is we should be a club participating all the years in European football.

"Playing in European competitions is just a target, we know it's not really easy as many clubs want the same but it's something that has to be in our mind and has to be a goal for us.

"For us to achieve that we have to keep doing the right things, keep growing as a squad, prepare well to achieve that."

ga('create', 'UA-72310761-1', 'auto', {'name': 'pacontentapi'});
ga('pacontentapi.set', 'referrer', location.origin);
ga('pacontentapi.set', 'dimension1', 'By David Charlesworth, Press Association Sport');
ga('pacontentapi.set', 'dimension2', '7bd2f216-cfac-4e75-87b5-20fb4f59626f');
ga('pacontentapi.set', 'dimension3', 'paservice:sport,paservice:sport:club-news,paservice:sport:football,paservice:sport:uk');
ga('pacontentapi.set', 'dimension6', 'story');
ga('pacontentapi.set', 'dimension7', 'composite');
ga('pacontentapi.set', 'dimension8', null);
ga('pacontentapi.set', 'dimension9', 'sport:football');
ga('pacontentapi.send', 'pageview', { 'location': location.href, 'page': (location.pathname + location.search + location.hash), 'title': 'Marco Silva plays down speculation linking Idrissa Gana Gueye to Man Utd'});

ID:355951: cacheID:355951:1false2false3false:QQ:: from db desktop :LenBod:restore:5942:
Restore Data
Share this article now:
Eden Hazard in full-on action for Chelsea on April 8, 2019
Read Next:
Wednesday's papers: Eden Hazard, Marcus Rashford, Toby Alderweireld
>
rhs 2.0
Today's games header
Tables header RHS
TeamPWDLFAGDPTS
1Arsenal28204470244664
2Liverpool28197265263964
3Manchester CityMan City28196363283563
4Aston Villa29175760421856
5Tottenham HotspurSpurs28165759421753
6Manchester UnitedMan Utd28152113939047
7West Ham UnitedWest Ham2912894650-444
8Brighton & Hove AlbionBrighton2811985044642
9Wolverhampton WanderersWolves28125114244-241
10Newcastle UnitedNewcastle281241259481140
11Chelsea27116104745239
12Fulham29115134344-138
13Bournemouth2898114152-1135
14Crystal Palace2878133348-1529
15Brentford2975174154-1326
16Everton2887132939-1025
17Luton TownLuton2957174260-1822
18Nottingham ForestNott'm Forest2967163551-1621
19Burnley2945202963-3417
20Sheffield UnitedSheff Utd2835202474-5014


Sports Mole provides in-depth previews and predictions for every match from the biggest leagues and competitions in world football.
Argentina's Lionel Messi kisses the World Cup trophy after collecting the Golden Ball award on December 18, 2022Sign up for our FREE daily preview newsletter direct to your inbox!