Portsmouth are planning a mid-season friendly during the international break to ease Regan Poole back into match action, according to John Mousinho.
Poole, who had previously played for Lincoln City, joined Portsmouth last summer.
Pompey made a statement signing ahead of their League One title-winning campaign. He had starred for the Imps, and many predicted he would make the jump to the Championship, only to stay in the third division by moving to Fratton Park.
Poole quickly established himself as a fan favourite, winning a starting berth and his first Wales cap. However, the athlete and his club were given a devastating setback when an ACL injury occurred in early November.
The 26-year-old has been on the hard road to recovery since, and while Portsmouth has done well without him, there is genuine optimism about his impending comeback. A comprehensive strategy is now being developed for Poole.
Pompey manager John Mousinho told The News that they are looking into scheduling a mid-season friendly during the international break to ease him back into football action.
Poole may not return to competitive action for Portsmouth until October, although his comeback would mark
A tremendous stride forward for the former Manchester United player. Mousinho stated, “However, we want to get minutes into him to see how far he has come, and we will most likely try to get him a game, possibly during the England international break.”
“Most importantly, it’s training time. Regan has been in and out of training for the past two to three weeks, and we believe he is still four to six weeks away from participating.” A big few weeks.
Poole has had a long road to recovery from his ACL injury, and while excitement will rise as his return date approaches, the next few weeks are critical.
Not only is there a risk of re-injury if pushed too hard too soon, but increasing his engagement in training and matches too rapidly may increase his risk of experiencing setbacks in the shape of various strains and niggles. Portsmouth will be well aware of this, and will take their time easing Poole back in.
Starting him off in a friendly with no competitive edge will help the Welshman get back up to speed. Then, with further training and perhaps some U21 games, he can begin to regain full fitness.
With October set as the prospective month of his return, it will be hoped that this significant step forward goes as easily as
possible.
Mousinho’s Centre-back Options
If Poole returns to full fitness as expected, it will be interesting to see who becomes the preferred centre-back pairing at Portsmouth.
One would expect a completely fit Poole to return and perform to his full potential. Conor Shaughnessy was key in the promotion-winning campaign and could be difficult to replace, but Ryley Towler has been the sole consistent performer this season despite other injury concerns.
New signing. Ibane Bowat will be looking to claim the starting berth, although Tom McIntyre, who has also been recovering from a major injury, has previous experience at this level.
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