In Profile: Lyanco
Originally from the south-east coast of Brazil, Lyanco now arrives on the south coast of England to bolster Southampton’s defensive options.
The 24-year-old, who has represented both Serbia and Brazil at youth level, continues his journey in Europe after making 53 appearances for Torino.
Comfortable in possession and combative in defensive scenarios, Lyanco rose through the youth ranks at Botafogo, before attracting the attention of São Paulo in 2015.
Making 21 appearances in Série A, the defender swapped South America for Europe in 2017, arriving in Turin having impressed with his passing range and positioning in Brazil’s top flight.
Having his debut season in Italy blighted by injury, Lyanco spent the second half of the 2018/19 season on loan at Bologna, helping the Red and Blues keep five cleansheets and scoring once as a top 10 finish was achieved.
Returning to his parent club for 2019/20, the Vitória-born defender has since been deployed as a defensive midfielder on occasion – offering some useful versatility for Ralph Hasenhüttl – featuring 25 times in all competitions last season, notching once in the Coppa Italia.
Spending the summer linked with moves away from Turin, Saints have secured the services of Lyanco, who’ll now look to be as successful as his compatriot before him at St Mary’s, with Guly do Prado enjoying cult hero status in Hampshire.
