Sheffield United supporters caught their first glimpse of Vinicius Souza during Saturday’s match at home against Crystal Palace.
The 24-year-old midfielder, secured from Belgian club Lommel on an undisclosed four-year contract, had a stint with Espanyol on loan last season. Adapting from the pace and tactics of La Liga to the Premier League can be quite a shift. Nonetheless, Blades manager Paul Heckingbottom dismisses the idea that Souza might need additional time to adapt to English football.
Heckingbottom stated: “His style of play is pretty combative, he likes to compete and the defensive side of the game. He’ll enjoy running back and making tackles, he’ll enjoy competing and breaking things up and he handles the ball really well.” [Yorkshire Live]
United’s 1-0 defeat to Crystal Palace was unsurprising when you look at the starting eleven. Heckingbottom opted to play a makeshift midfield of Norwood, Basham and Osborn, and notably, United’s midfield was out of its depth.
The bench featured Anis Slimane and Vinícius Souza, but they only played the final few minutes. And their newest signing Gustavo Hamer was watching on in the stands.
Sheffield United play Nottingham Forest on Friday night and Steve Cooper’s side often win games when they are able to overrun midfield with their pace and power. If the Blades field the same midfield, it could be a very long night.
