Bruno Fernandes has been backed to restore the strict Manchester United standards which have been slacking in recent years.
The Portuguese midfielder made an immediate impact at Old Trafford following his move from Sporting Lisbon in January.
And, as United prepare for their opening Premier League game with Crystal Palace on Saturday, there is an expectation that the club can challenge for top honours this season.
Fernandes will be integral to their pursuit for glory, with his former Sporting boss Silas lifting the lid on his mentality on and off the pitch.
And the former Portugal midfielder also reckons Fernandes brings leadership qualities not seen at the club since the likes of Roy Keane and Gary Neville left.
“He’s very demanding; with himself in the first instance,” Silas told The Athletic. “He asks a great deal of himself and then wants others to live up to his standards.
“But I don’t think that’s a problem at United — a club at which all players need to be at a very high level.
"Watching United in the last few years, it has often seemed that they have lacked the strict standards they had before.
"Think about how demanding Roy Keane was. Or Gary Neville, Eric Cantona, Paul Scholes, Ryan Giggs. Those players helped define United and they asked so much from their team-mates.
“I played with Paul Ince at Wolves and he was constantly challenging people.
"But it was only on the pitch and we all understood that he just wanted to help us. There are fewer and fewer players like that in football today.”
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's side did not play on the opening weekend of the new season due to their participation in the 2019-20 Europa League knockout phase last month.
Their delayed finish to the previous campaign meant their curtain-raiser with the Eagles was put back a week, with Fernandes and Co belatedly getting their season underway on Saturday.
