Bernardo Silva only played seven minutes for Portugal across four games of the international break. It is obviously because of Portugal's abundance of talent in midfield, particularly in Bruno Fernandes, Vitinha, and Joao Neves.
It is also worth noting that Silva is past his prime, which is difficult for many players to digest, but that is a fact. If Portugal want to build a team that can challenge for the big titles, they would have to bench veteran players where they have more talent available in positions where they have more talent than them. That is the case with the midfield.
The funny thing is, it actually helps Real Madrid and Silva himself.
Real Madrid need Bernardo Silva more than Portugal do
There is no doubt that Silva would have wanted to play many more minutes for his national team this break. The truth is, even in the World Cup, he did not play many minutes and was, at many points, an unused substitute. It helps Real Madrid because it leaves one of their veteran players with a lot less game time than the others.
It will help Real Madrid keep Silva fresh for the business end of the season, when they would need his services more than ever. It would also help Silva stay at his best possible level, which, at his age, is likely to come in bursts.
Silva is now 34 years old, and if he is going to be one of the important players for Real Madrid this season, Mourinho would need to control his time and manage his load as much as possible.
Unknowingly, Jorge Jesus at Portugal did the exact same thing because, even though he probably would not have played Silva too many more minutes, he rested Silva, which would mean that he could be fresh for a longer part of the season.
There are many players at Real Madrid who are prioritising club over country because of their age. Silva has not come out and said that he is one of them, but the lack of minutes could be a huge blessing in disguise for the Portuguese midfielder at Real Madrid.
A player of his profile is missing at the club, and Mourinho should want him to be playing as many minutes at his best level as possible, even if he does not realise it at the moment. Mourinho would eventually need to start him more and more, and when that happens, the lack of minutes in this international break will prove to be very important.
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