Former Reading defender Clinton Mola has been described as the Bristol Rovers summer signing which has 'exceed expectation the most' by Pirates expert Dan Hargraves ahead of his potential return to Berkshire on Saturday.

23-year-old Mola arrived from Stuttgart in 2023 and the defender racked up 35 appearances for the Royals in his one campaign with the club before opting to sign a long-term deal with Bristol Rovers in the summer transfer window.

Starting out with a few high-profile errors, the former England youth international had become a popular player by the end of the season, his upturn in form a key part of the revival under Ruben Selles to pull away from relegation danger.

Matt Taylor's inconsistent Gas have won four of their five home matches but visit the SCL Stadium on Saturday sat 15th in the third tier while Reading look to pick up a third win in a week after victories over Crawley Town and Exeter City in the last five days.

We spoke to Dan Hargraves of the Bristol Post to get the lowdown on Mola ahead of his return.

(Image: ©Jason Dawson)

How would you describe Mola’s start at Bristol Rovers?

Bristol Rovers started the season with three clean sheets from their opening four league matches and Mola was a major part of that.

For me, the defender has been the summer signing that has exceeded my expectations at that point the most. He's looked comfortable on the ball, isn't afraid to lunge into a big tackle and has made some crucial blocks and interceptions in the area too.

More recently, his form has dipped slightly but Matt Taylor said he should be playing Championship football.

What are his best attributes and areas where he can improve?

As I said, I think he times his tackles and interceptions well. It's an underrated trait in defenders in my opinion, but he's very good at winning one-v-ones on the sidelines to get a throw in, even if it's deep in Bristol Rovers' own half. He's looked comfortable on the ball too.

In terms of improvement, there have been a few goals conceded that have come based on how he's read a long ball. Stockport County's first and Burton's opener the other week didn't see him cover himself in glory. At least against Burton he then scored in the second half.

What is opinion among supporters?

Largely very good. I think the vast majority of supporters can see that he's got really exciting potential and has had an overall strong start to life at Bristol Rovers. Defenders can be easy scapegoats when you're shipping goals regularly but he's started well.

Is he likely to play on Saturday?

Yes, I would imagine so. I think he just needed a slight rest hence why he didn't start on Tuesday.

Bristol Rovers have been playing with a back-three for the majority of the season with Mola playing left centre-back but, of course, he can play left-back.

Rovers played with a back-four against Shrewsbury and it looked decent and the hope is that they stick with it. I'd be surprised if he doesn't come back in on Saturday.