Lino Sousa: Plymouth Argyle sign ex-Arsenal left-back on loan from Aston Villa

Lino Sousa has made five Arsenal Under-23 appearances in the EFL Trophy across the past two seasons, scoring once

Plymouth have signed Lino Sousa on loan after the England Under-19s left-back joined Aston Villa from Arsenal.

The 19-year-old joined the Gunners in 2022 after coming through the West Brom academy and has made five EFL Trophy appearances.

Portugal-born Sousa has previously played alongside Argyle loanee Ashley Phillips in the England youth set-up.

"Lino is somebody that I've known for a while," Plymouth head coach Ian Foster told the club website.

"He's a really exciting player with huge potential and I think you can see why the likes of Arsenal and Aston Villa have taken him."

Sousa was an unused substitute when Arsenal were knocked out of the FA Cup by Liverpool in the third round last month.

"He'll come in, in competition on the left-hand side of the pitch. He's got a lovely left foot, he's athletic, he can handle the ball in tight areas, he can defend in one-v-one situations and he's good in the final phase as well," Foster added.

Director of football Neil Dewsnip said: "Lino is a young player with a tremendous grounding in football, and is a hugely exciting prospect for the future.

"He has attracted the eye of Aston Villa, who have a good record of bringing in young, talented footballers, and our excellent relationship with them means we were in a good position to be ones with whom he can get some loan experience."

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