The Reds left-back played for Silva at Hull City.
Silva said, "What a guy, hungry to win, it's easy to work with these types of players when they always want to win and they have the ambition to keep going. It was a very good second half of the season for him, we helped him improve certain things and it was also very good for me as his manager at the end of that season to see him go to a different level club in Liverpool.
"He wanted to make that step and we knew at that moment he was a very, very good left-back in the Premier League. Now season after season, he's playing at a really high level given Liverpool are always there."
On Fulham's star left-back Antonee Robinson, Silva was also effusive.
He said of the USMNT defender: "I've worked with some great left-backs in this country, Robertson is one but Lucas Digne is another one of them.
"He's a top left-back too, Robertson is a good example that sometimes you need to move around to reach the top level and Antonee was my player at Everton before Lucas came in from Barcelona. He then went to Championship football, shone and we worked together at Fulham and he's a very good left-back.
"There is much more to come from Robinson but he's performing better season after season. This is what you expect from a player, to try to improve every single time."