'My team doesn’t keep the ball much' - Sheffield United midfielder Vinicius Souza makes blunt admission

The 24-year-old has been one of the brighter lights in a dismal campaign for the Blades, although has been unable to keep the club away from the Premier League relegation zone.

International call-ups have been dished out across the globe for this week but Brazil are yet to call upon Souza at senior level. The former Brazil under-20 international was quizzed about his international prospects by Coluna do Fla and has explained why he does not think he is in the picture.

When asked whether he was hopeful of a call-up, Souza said: “Honestly? No. 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.

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“My team doesn’t keep the ball much either. That’s very important for the national team. So it’s going to weigh a bit. And the players who went can defend and have the ball, so they can stand out more. And, well, the guys are doing a brilliant job too. So I was really cool.”

Souza, a defensive midfielder by trade, has spent the bulk of the campaign trying to plug gaps and apply plasters as the Blades have struggled with attacking onslaughts.

He would arguably be playing a different role at a side in a healthier league position, but Sheffield United do not appear likely to rise up the table anytime soon.

The 24-year-old has made a total of 29 appearances in all competitions this term, scoring once.