Vinicius Souza gets response from Blades manager over recent comments

Originally posted on Sheff United Way | By Jake Staniland | Last updated 3/29/24

Sheffield United midfielder Vinicius Souza made local headlines recently after his comments made to a Brazilian media outlet, in which the English translation seemed to have been a dig at the Blades.

Throughout his first season in the Premier League, the 24-year-old has consistently occupied a pivotal role in United’s midfield. When the Blades invested approximately £10 million in him, few knew what to expect given his loan stint with Espanyol in La Liga, and his appearances for Lommel in Belgium.

Undoubtedly, his performance this season have been marked by considerable fluctuations. Despite this, the Brazilian defensive midfielder was convinced that his absence from the national team is solely due to Sheffield United. He articulated this sentiment to Coluna do Fla.

Vinicius Souza makes sly dig at Sheffield United

Vinicius Souza on why he wasn’t called up for Brazil: “Not because of me, but because of the situation at my club. I think that for the national team it’s a bit of a problem. That’s my opinion. But not in relation to my football. I think that for my football I could [get called up], I really could. But there’s the whole thing, you know.

“My team doesn’t keep the ball much either. That’s very important for the national team.”

Ahead of a crucial home game for Sheffield United against Fulham on Saturday, manager Chris Wilder gave a pre-match press conference.

The Blades’ gaffer was asked for a response to Souza’s previous comments in which he replied: “All I will say is players have got to do their talking on the pitch, not in the media. They’ve got to produce really good performances,” via The Star.

“I spoke to Vini recently and it’s a big 10 games for him. He got left out of the team for his performance against Arsenal and he’s been up and down, as a lot of the players have been this season.”

“He needs to show consistency”, Wilder exclaimed.

This article first appeared on Sheff United Way and was syndicated with permission.

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