Portsmouth boss John Mousinho has urged the fans at Fratton Park to have patience in young winger Paddy Lane as he adapts to life at Portsmouth, speaking to The Portsmouth News.
The 22-year-old is a new signing at Portsmouth, having joined from fellow League One outfit Fleetwood Town in January. His acquisition is one that excited many fans, despite this only being his second full season in professional football.
Not only that, but the South Coast club were able to pip Premier League clubs to the signing of the player in January.
An exciting first season.
Last season, Lane enjoyed his first full season as a professional player, after joining Fleetwood from Hyde United in July 2021. A debut season in League One saw the Northern Irishman find the back of the net five times and assist on eight occasions.
In his first season, he made 37 appearances for Fleetwood Town, totalling to 2802 minutes of football last season, with a minute per goal ratio of 560.
This stellar form was enough to earn the attacking midfielder the young player of the season award and turned the heads of some clubs in the Premier League, despite this, Portsmouth were able to gain his services in January.
A difficult start.
Although he was a player who quickly impressed the Fratton Park faithful, those impressions would be hampered by injury, as shortly after joining he would pick up a hamstring injury, as well as the fact he was not able to find a consistent position.
Lane has quickly adapted since this as he has been in the starting line-up three games in a row and he has been able to show the fans and his manager exactly what he is capable of.
In recent weeks, he was vital in Portsmouth’s win over Accrington Stanley setting up the opening goal for Pompey, as well as being part of Lukas Jensen’s red card for Accrington.
Mousinho has recently been full of praise for his players performance that game, stating he was ‘the most threatening player on the pitch’.
Mousinho’s challenge.
The current Portsmouth boss arrived in January and has turned things around on the South Coast after a disastrous first half of the season.
He spoke about keeping Lane fit and this is the challenge for them as coaching staff, stating the need to keep the youngster around for a full 46 game season.
“We’re going to have to work with Paddy on his physicality and resilience because we need to keep him fit for 46 games.”
He also spoke about protecting the player, as in recent weeks he has taken Lane off during games in order to keep him fit and avoiding injury.
“At Oxford United, for 62 minutes he was excellent, before we brought him off as an injury precaution because we didn’t want him breaking down again.”
“Even Sheffield Wednesday when he got injured in the 85th minute, for that first period he looked a real threat.”
The story.
Mousinho has urged fans to have patience in Paddy Lane as he continues to grow as a player. He has shown glimpses of the talent that he showcased last season with Fleetwood, but has been unable so far to fully show what he is capable of.
Having made just 14 appearances for Portsmouth, five of which have come from the bench, it is up to him to earn himself a consistent run in the team, which he is starting to do so and then use that to showcase his abilities.
“He has a huge amount of potential and that’s the reason we’ve brought him in. He’s one of those players that will really grow and develop here. We have seen flashes and just need to see it consistently over the season.”
“A bit of patience is required with a player who is having his second season as a full-time professional, it’s easy to forget that.”
Writers View
Paddy Lane is an exceptionally talented young player, having represented Northern Ireland at under-21 level, he could be a vital part to helping Portsmouth back to where they belong.
Despite injuries, he has been able to start showing signs of the type of player he can be and he certainly has Portsmouth fans excited.
It is now up to Mousinho to stay true to his word in keeping the player fit for the coming season and for Lane to show even more of his abilities in the upcoming preseason, following his break.
