Marco Silva says overseeing Richarlison’s development over the past 12 months “has been a pleasure” as the Brazilian forward represents his country at the Copa America.

Richarlison headed into the tournament on home soil on the back of an impressive maiden season at Everton, which saw him hit 13 Premier League goals.

He won the Club’s Young Player of the Season award and has sustained his fine Toffees form at international level, netting in Brazil’s Copa America warm-up clashes against Qatar and Honduras. 

The 22-year-old then started the tournament opener against Bolivia on Saturday, winning a penalty and creating the second goal in a 3-0 victory.

Richarlison boasts a remarkable goalscoring record of five goals in six starts for the Selecao, having made his senior debut for his country last September.

Everton manager Silva originally brought the dynamic attacker to England when in charge at Watford in 2017. Richarlison, who has described the Portuguese as “a father figure”, then became the 41-year-old’s first signing at Everton when he moved from the Hornets to Goodison Park last summer.

The Blues boss has revealed how the forward’s combination of quality, work-rate and desire reflects the qualities he demands from his team.

“I was 100 per cent sure Richarlison would fit perfectly into our club,” Silva explains.

“It is a pleasure for me to see how he is developing.

“Richarlison is talented. But, equally important, he is a worker. I know he will invest everything into his development.

“He is already a really important player for Everton but he has many things to improve and will be even more important in future.”

Richarlison was one of two Brazilians to join Everton last summer, with 26-year-old winger Bernard also joining Silva’s ranks.

The former Shakhtar Donetsk player featured in all but four of the Blues’ Premier League matches in 2018-19 and regularly thrilled Evertonians with his dazzling close control penetrative surges forward and deft touches.

Bernard’s influence grew as the season progressed, with his value to manager Silva underlined by the fact he started Everton’s final 10 top-flight matches of the campaign.

That run of games included conclusive victories over Chelsea, Arsenal and Manchester United as the Toffees delivered a strong finish to the season.

Silva believes the experience gained by Bernard during his first year at Everton will serve to further elevate his performances in 2019-20.

“Bernard needed time to adapt to our model and idea and to the league, which is completely different from Ukraine,” said Silva.

“We were clear with Bernard about our ambition as a club and how we believed he could be a big player for Everton.

“He is a fantastic football player and understands the game tactically.”