Bilic: I Will Support Dudu as a Man, not a Coach

Slaven Bilic should fly to London next week to visit Eduardo da Silva, but he does not want a media circus to come out of it.

The coach of the Croatian national football team, Slaven Bilic, decided to visit Eduardo da Silva only after his best striker gets used to home help and when the media monitoring cools down. 

- I want to visit Eduardo at his home and give him my support as a man, not as a coach. We talk every day on the phone several times. I would like to spend time with him until he decides to throw me out from his flat – said Bilic for Jutarnji daily.

He said that he did not want to go to London immediately because it would seem conventional, due to the media.

- If I had immediately flown to London, as I meant to do, it would look like I were doing it for the media, a formality. I want to spend quality time with him, closely feel how he is doing, encourage and support him. I do not want to make a media show of this meeting – Bilic stated. He should leave for London next week along with Aljosa Asanovic.

He is optimistic about Dudu’s return to the pitch.

- That boy has achieved everything on his own in his life. As a teenager, he decided to leave Brazil for the unknown. I think with happiness about the day when he will be with us again and I do not doubt that he will return stronger than ever.