Chelsea manager Thomas Tuchel has given humorous praise to his veteran central defender Thiago Silva.

As Futaa reported this week, Silva put pen to paper on a new one-year contract extension at the age of 37.

The Brazilian’s manager Tuchel reacted to the news by comparing Silva to the widely celebrated movie character Benjamin Button. For those of us who may not know, Button had a rare ageing ailment that made him age backwards.

“He’s like Benjamin Button. Thiago Button the footballer!” Tuchel joked as quoted by Chelsea’s media.

“But I know how much work and professional attitude is behind that. It is a miracle in a way, because he came to this league, with the schedule and the approach and the intensity on a daily basis at the very end of his career, which was very brave.

“I know how much effort he puts in to stay fit, and how much effort he puts in off the pitch at home taking care of his recovery, his sleep and his nutrition. It is simply outstanding and only because of that it’s possible,” Tuchel added.

“We are happy because the new contract makes him calm.

“Thiago needs to be calm because he is a sensitive and emotional person. That makes him so precious for our team and our dressing room. He can feel different states of emotions from others, and can help so much with this.

“So he is calm, he has huge targets and he has a big impact. He is available and when he plays, he plays strong and is a big help. Good for him, good for us,” the German concluded.