Aston Villa: Barton delivers Bogarde verdict after first Bristol Rovers start

Aston Villa loanee Lamare Bogarde has received huge praise from current manager Joey Barton.

The 19-year-old left Villa Park on deadline day to link up with Bristol Rovers on a loan deal until the end of the season.

Bogarde has impressed for the Villans at age level since arriving in Birmingham from Feyenoord in 2020.

The versatile defender and midfielder has already made his Villa debut, starting against Liverpool in the FA Cup.

He was named in Villa’s matchday squad three times during the 2020-21 campaign.

That season, Bogarde also won the FA Youth Cup in claret and blue.

Last summer, he penned a new long-term contract and joined the first-team on their pre-season tour of Australia.

With game time hard to come by for Bogarde, Villa gave him the chance to make his mark out on loan.

After linking up with Rovers, he quickly got two substitute appearances under his belt.

Barton then handed him his first league start on Tuesday night, playing 76 minutes in a 0-0 draw against Ipswich.

‘He’s going to have a big future’

The Gas manager loved what he saw from the Villa on-loan talent.

“He’s a good player, really good player. You never know until you throw them in,” Barton said in his post-match press conference.

“A first league game against the top-end of the division and he didn’t look out of place.

“We were just concerned about his fitness levels but he actually looked like he was relatively strong there, finishing.

“So really pleased with Lamare.

“I think he’s going to have a big future and it’s nice to have the opportunity to get him in our team and see what he can do.

“He’s got enormous potential.”

It’s great to hear Barton praise Bogarde so highly.

The Bristol Rovers fanbase also seemed pleased by the Villa talent’s first start for their club.

Bogarde has progressed nicely within the Villa ranks, and now he’s getting the chance to show what he can do at senior level.

If all continues to go well, perhaps he can become a regular in the Villans line-up next season and beyond.