Silva hooked Lukic on 33 minutes in defeat at Nottingham Forest last weekend, but could hand the Serb another start against Newcastle.
We tried to anticipate his move to Fulham (before) last January", Silva said.
We were following him, and it was a good moment to sign him, to give him the time to adapt.
Last season he had some moments but was not regular in the team.
He was probably our best player during pre-season, playing as a No6. He's a fantastic guy to work with. He's had enough patience to wait for his moment, and now he's playing really well."