The Portuguese midfielder has been the fulcrum of Redknapp's second coming, the leading role in the Great Escape.

Since arriving at Fratton Park 20 months ago, he's made 47 Pompey appearances, of which just two have been as substitute.

Mendes' name was written in indelible ink on the Blues' teamsheet.

Yet Redknapp's trusty midfielder couldn't even find his way on his bench for Liverpool's visit on Saturday.

Fit and raring to go following the international break, injury or tiredness was not part of the equation.

Instead Pompey's boss elected for a different approach, a new formation which rendered the 28-year-old's presence not required.

With the 4-3-3 system employed and new-boy Papa Bouba Diop thrown in for a debut, midfield spots were at a premium.

Unfortunately for Mendes, he was the one who missed out.

And with the versatility of Matt Taylor and the attacking guile of Niko Kranjcar earning them a spot on the bench, there was no room for him there, either.

The former Porto man's absence is perhaps indicative of how far Pompey have travelled since the famous Great Escape.

And Redknapp admitted it was a sacrifice as tough as he's ever faced.

He said: 'We've ended up with Pedro not even on the bench and he's a good player, he was inches away from being in my team.

'But I needed to balance my subs up against Liverpool.

'You've got a defender in Noe Pamarot, David Nugent as a striker and then Taylor, Kranjcar. I couldn't get Pedro in.

'He's a terrific player and it was a tough choice but there was just no room for him in that match.

'I wanted to change the system as well.

'I felt when we played against Liverpool in Hong Kong we had a real problem. I thought Dirk Kuyt would play and he dropped off against us over there and it gave us a problem.

'We ended up pulling one of our strikers back to get around Xabi Alonso and run the game from there.

'I was also trying to push the two midfield players into their two - which I thought would be Gerrard and Alonso - and let Davis shield if Kuyt was coming off into that hole.

'I played with two widemen. Benji and Utaka are attacking players, they both played there in France all the time.

'And I stuck the big fella Kanu up front to try to join in and he did a terrific job again.

'You have to keep it tight really. You open the game too much against them and they can rip you to pieces.'

Next up is Blackburn on Sunday, the scene where Mendes picked up an ankle injury which kept him out for 10 weeks of last season.

Only this time around he may not even get the opportunity to play.'

What's your view? Will Mendes play a major role for Pompey this season, or might he find himself out in the cold? How would you fit him into the midfield, and who with? Sign on or register on this page to submit a comment, or click here to send an e-mail. Please tell us who you are and where you live.