Toni Silva left Oakwell because he 'couldn't commit' according to manager David Flitcroft.
The teenage Portuguese winger had his two-year contract cancelled by mutual consent after making just one appearance since signing for Keith Hill from Liverpool last summer, when Flitcroft was assistant manager.
Flitcroft told the Chronicle: "Within our training programme there are no hiding places whether you're in the gym or on the training pitch. I think Toni wanted to find those places and couldn't. He found he couldn't commit in the end. A player can only commit if he wants to commit. He can only get fitter if he wants to get fitter. Toni didn't make the decision to improve so we parted company."
Flitcroft says his experience with Silva will not put him off taking risks on players in the future and cites Ricardo Vaz Te as an example of how such a signing can pay off.
"Toni was a Vaz Te experiment that didn't work but it didn't cost us a hell of a lot of money. He was a free transfer and his wages weren't super big. "It was worth trying. There was talent and speed in there and we felt we could change him but we never did. The biggest risk is not taking a risk. Vaz Te could happen again."
