The Manchester City winger, signed from Valencia for £24million in the summer, made a slow start to his career at Eastlands but he has shown much better form in the past two months, keeping England prospect Adam Johnson on the bench.
And Silva, 24, said Tevez is the main reason his performances and happiness have improved in recent weeks.
Much better: £24million summer signing Silva is starting to prove his worth at Eastlands
'It was tough adapting to the Premier League because everything was new for me. The weather is not good, it snows a lot and I didn't have many friends,' said Silva.
'You could see the effect.
'But I'm better now, I feel part of the team and I feel I'm an important and valued player. Tevez has been so important for me in England. I couldn't speak English and he helped me a lot. He's a great footballer and great person.'
Big help: Silva credits Manchester City captain Tevez for his improved form
Silva also said he was right to join City, despite interest from Real Madrid and Barcelona.
He added: 'I came to City because they had a great project and Mancini had wanted to sign me when he was at Inter Milan.
'City are doing good things.'
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Source: Daily Mail
Source: Daily Mail