At this stage of his fledgling career, 2024 has been a major year for Lino Sousa. The 19-year-old left one Premier League juggernaut to join another while making two loan ventures…all within the space of eight months.
The teenage full-back made the move from Arsenal to Aston Villa in January before immediately heading south to Championship side Plymouth Argyle on loan for the remainder of the 2023/24 season.
Having made eight appearances for the Pilgrims, Sousa then returned to Villa but didn’t make a pre-season friendly appearance for Unai Emery’s side before heading back to the South-West in August, this time to play in League One for Bristol Rovers.
The teenage full-back has already surpassed his appearance tally reached at Plymouth with nine games played for the Gas which includes four league starts. Now, he’s looking to use this opportunity to his advantage and ensure he heads back to the West Midlands as improved as possible.
“[It’s been] quick,” Sousa told Bristol Live when asked about his year so far. “You don’t really have a lot of time to think because you’re in the moment but my family has been really supportive of me. They’re always supporting me. Even being afar, it’s been alright to be fair.
“The group’s really good. It’s a really nice group of lads. Everyone welcomes you from day one. And the city is nice. I’ve been on a few walks and a few spots to eat. It’s a really nice city.
“Experience,” the left-back added when asked what he wants to get out of this loan move. “Getting professional games under my belt. Preparing my body physically. Being able to do a Saturday, Tuesday. It’s physically demanding. And obviously get my stats up. When I play football I’m happy so I just want to be happy.
“I’d like to get my stats up, get my assists and [improve] my quality of crossing a bit more. My areas of strength, I’d probably say one-v-one defending, dribbling, probably heading as well.”
The 19-year-old is currently in the middle of a healthy but competitive battle for a regular spot out on the left-hand side of defence with Bryant Bilongo, although the Villa loanee has been deployed out on the right a few times with his versatility evidently a helpful trait.
Tuesday night’s 1-0 win over Shrewsbury Town saw a back-four deployed as opposed to the regular three and it certainly worked with Rovers looking significantly more fluid in attack than they had done three days previously in defeat at Huddersfield Town, although the difference in level of opposition was significant.
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Having come on on the right at Huddersfield, with a cameo in which he almost scored to make the scoreline 3-2, Sousa was then given the nod to start at left-back against Salop.
Although caught out a few times defensively, there was plenty to like about the young full-back’s game with the former West Brom youth product looking bright in most of his appearances in a Gas shirt so far with evident areas for improvement.
Whether he starts at Reading this weekend is another question but, should Matt Taylor stick with this new formation, it certainly suits Sousa who admitted he prefers playing as a full-back as opposed to wing-back. “I’d probably say left-back,” the 19-year-old explained. “Growing up I played in back-fours quite a lot growing up. It’s only when I was 17, 18, I started playing in wing-back roles so I’m still learning whereas when I was young I played in more back-fours.
“We’re just trying to keep the momentum going,” the Villa loanee added when reflecting on the Shrewsbury win. “That’s the hardest thing. Keep the momentum, keep the rhythm in training. Just give the fans what they want. Win and everyone’s happy.
“The manager’s big on bouncing back. There’s always the next game, another opportunity and we go again, refresh and do what we need to do on the pitch because as players we know our quality and what we can bring and what we can do.”