Portsmouth Head Coach John Mousinho will not rush Regan Poole back to full time action despite the central defender’s return against West Bromwich Albion yesterday afternoon.
The 26-year-old has been on the sidelines since last November when he suffered an anterior cruciate ligament injury during a FA Cup defeat against Chesterfield. He had only joined the club the previous summer, when he departed then-fellow League One outfit Lincoln City upon the expiration of his contract,
Poole had been a huge hit at the LNER Stadium, becoming one of the Imps’ youngest ever club captains. Making 131 appearances over three seasons, the Welsh international was offered fresh terms but opted to move on for pastures new in the summer of 2023.
The defender decided to head to the south coast with Pompey and immediately became an ever-present under Mousinho. However, disaster struck in his 17th outing, causing him to miss the rest of the campaign and the beginning of this one.
A lot has changed since Poole’s last appearance. Portsmouth achieved promotion to the Championship after storming to the League One title and he returns with the club operating in the second tier for the first time in 14 years. He came off the bench yesterday for the last 14 minutes of the 3-0 defeat against West Brom, a result which left the club in the relegation places.
Although it has been a poor start to the season, Mousinho remains cautious about thrusting Poole straight back into the starting lineup, despite struggling for numbers across his back line. Speaking to The News, the 38-year-old said:
“Regan’s only played 15 games for the football club, so to get that reception – I think everyone knows the quality he’s got and is going to bring this season.
“Once we’ve got him back he’s really going to bolster our options at centre-back and with that patched-up back four.
“I don’t know (how long it will take for him to get back to his best) is the honest answer.
“When you come back from an ACL it can take a long time and he’s been out for a long time – but he’s also been training for a long time now, so we’ll see.
“I don’t know how long it will take, but hopefully it’s very quick and we see him really back in business very soon.”
Writer’s View
This is a very sensible approach from Portsmouth and John Mousinho. Regan Poole is clearly an integral part of the manager’s plans, but to rush him back could prove disastrous. 10 months out of the game is an exceptionally long time and the last thing they will want to do is ruin the excellent progression he has made during that time to get back into the first team squad.
It would be easy to make the wrong decision and thrust him straight back into action, especially after a poor start to the season. The next two games are exceptionally tough, starting with a trip to Burnley before Sheffield United head to Fratton Park. There are four fixtures between now and the next international break. The best thing to do would be to gently up the number of minutes between now and then before affording him an extended break during that time.
Head of Writing
