After four consecutive starts, Lamare Bogarde can feel his confidence growing at Bristol Rovers and the Aston Villa prospect want to make sure he stays in the XI for the rest of the season.
The 19-year-old Dutchman joined the Gas on loan on January deadline day, impressing since in the heart of midfield in six appearances for Joey Barton's side.
After amassing extensive experience of youth football both with Villa – and his country at under-19s level – Bogarde is getting his first taste of the senior game. He says he was convinced to join the Gas after speaking to Barton amid interest from other clubs keen to take him on loan.
And now he is in the team, he wants to make the most of his loan stay as possible by cementing his place in the team.
"I was thinking 'What is it going to be like' when I went out on my first loan, but I wanted to show everyone what I can do on a bigger stage. Under-21s football is nice, but this is real football.
"It happened in the last hours of deadline day so I was really pleased to come and play for Bristol Rovers. I wanted to get out and there were a few other clubs.
"I spoke to the manager before and I chose Bristol Rovers. He told me what his philosophy was, the way he wants to play and what he wants for this season and I thought 'This is where I want to play'."
"When I first came in, the standards were really high in training. There are a lot of good players here.
"I've spoken to people around me and they are seeing my confidence going higher. I just want to keep going and play games; I just want to be important for the team and play where the manager wants me to play."
Bogarde has played as a holding midfielder and in a box-to-box role so far. True to his schooling at Feyenoord in his homeland, the teenager wants to be on the ball as much as possible and he says he has the best chance to influence games in a deeper role.
While it may be premature for him to play in defence at his age, Bogarde has played a lot at centre-back in Villa's youth setup and that is where he could end up playing as he gets older.
"I just want to get on the ball and in the six role, I can get on the ball more, so I think the six is the position where I want to play, but I can play in different roles and I will play where the manager wants me to play," he said.
"In recent years, I have played centre-back as well and that has helped me a lot now I'm playing in midfield. I have always been good on the ball, but in the centre-back role you have to get a tackle in and it's helped me a lot.
"Playing centre-back is an option as well (in the future), so it is good I've got two positions I can play. That's good for me."
His performances have been strong and he has been particularly influential in Rovers' past two games, beating Oxford United 3-0 before a goalless draw with promotion-chasing Barnsley last time out. In the Oxford game, he won the penalty that Scott Sinclair converted to open the scoring and against the Tykes, he screened the back four well in the absence of captain Paul Coutts.
Every budding footballer has their idols and inspirations in the game, but rarely are they within the same family. Bogarde has the benefit of that, with his uncle Winston earning 20 caps for his country as a full-back and playing for the likes of Ajax, AC Milan, Barcelona and Chelsea in the 1990s and 2000s.
"I have contact with my uncle," Bogarde added. "Obviously, he played for Ajax, Barcelona and a few big clubs. He spoke to me before and said 'Keep doing your thing'. His journey was really good and I want to follow in his footsteps."
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