Joey Barton had plenty of praise for Luca Hoole after the defender played a starring role in Bristol Rovers' win at Oxford United on Saturday, believing the Welshman is on the path to realising his "enormous" potential.
The 20-year-old was recalled to the starting lineup at the Kassam Stadium after four games on the bench and he rewarded his manager with a confident display at right-back that saw him contribute in attack and defence.
Clean sheets have been a precious commodity for the Gas this season, but academy graduate Hoole played his part in a shutout that underpinned Rovers' first win in seven weeks, and he capped his performance with a towering header to make it 3-0 with 15 minutes remaining before celebrating in front of the 1,437 travelling fans.
