Portsmouth manager John Mousinho has come out to defend Kusini Yengi after the striker came in for criticism following Saturday’s draw with Hull City, as reported by The News.
Yengi was handed his first start of the season at The MKM Stadium.
Yengi’s Injury Issues
This was the 25-year-old first start since he helped Pompey clinch promotion by scoring in the victory over Barnsley back in April.
Yengi contributed nine goals to Portsmouth’s promotion push last season but was only in the starting eleven on seven occasions. The Australian had had to make do with appearances from the bench this season until Saturday’s start.
Mousinho commented how the 8-cap international had been working his way back from injury before being handed his spot at Hull.
“Kas has been knocking on the proverbial door and been very, very close to really affecting starting line-ups.”
“He was going to start the first game of the season (Leeds) before he got injured. He’s now just getting back from injury.”
Mousinho Defends His Striker
The manager has had to respond following criticism of Yengi from some quarters of the Fratton Park crowd.
Mousinho admits to being underwhelmed by what he saw in the first half but was far happier after the break.
“I thought probably the first half he was below par, maybe that was a consequence of us not really pressing as aggressively as we could have done – and that’s on me.”
“But in the second half, Kas was really good, he got into the game. On another day he wins the penalty, which wins us the match.”
Yengi’s Impact
Despite the negative comments, Yengi should have perhaps been awarded a penalty that could have handed his side all three points.
The manager added, “It’s a stonewall penalty, I can’t understand why it’s not been given.”
“But 99.99 per cent of the time, the one on Kusini is a penalty, while 100 per cent of the time it’s a foul if outside of the box.”
Writer’s View
It’s never easy for a player to hit the ground running following injury and Yengi is likely to need a few more starts before he is up to speed.
He performed admirably last season, making the most of the time he had on the pitch and will be hopeful he can make a similar contribution following the step up in quality to the Championship.
