How have the four Portsmouth loanee departures fared since returning to Millwall, Aston Villa, QPR and Wolves in January?

It came as a slight shock when Ben Thompson, Andre Green, David Wheeler and Joe Mason all departed Fratton Park.

It meant boss Kenny Jackett had to again scour the market to find suitable replacements for the quartet. 

You could argue that the upheaval was one of the factors why the Blues’ form dipped as the likes of Lloyd Isgrove, Viv Solomon-Otabor and James Vaughan needed settle on the south coast. 

Pompey went eight League One games without a victory and slipped from the top of the table to fourth during that period.

But how have the four who returned to their parent clubs been faring since?

Ben Thompson

The midfielder’s departure was the biggest blow out of the four who left.

Thompson consistently delivered dazzling performances in the engine room and he quickly became a fans’ favourite.

The Millwall loanee was key when Pompey were setting the pace, scoring three goals in 23 appearances and umpteen man-of-the-match awards to boot. 

Clearly his spell proved beneficial to both the Blues and his parent club.

After previously being on the periphery of things at Millwall, Thompson is now a regular. 

He’s made eight appearances for Neil Harris’ side since his return, with just one of those coming from the substitutes’ bench.

Thompson has scored three times since going back to the Lions, including a double in the Lions’ 2-0 win at Birmingham on Wednesday night. 

Andre Green

The winger didn’t want the tag, but he became known as Pompey’s super-sub while on the south coast.

Of his 12 appearances, Green only made two starts in League One and he struggled to dislodge widemen Ronan Curtis and Jamal Lowe from Kenny Jackett’s starting line-up.

The Aston Villa ace did score five times, however, including two late winners in the FA Cup – against Rochdale and Norwich respectively – as well as in the Checkatrade Trophy second round against Arsenal under-21s. 

His recall came somewhat of a surprise to Jackett. 

But to Villa boss Dean Smith’s credit, he has been using Green opposed to having him making up the numbers in the Championship. 

The 20-year-old has featured eight times, including twice from the outset.

Green also netted a late equaliser in Villa’s dramatic 3-3 draw with Premier League-chasing Sheffield United.

David Wheeler

Like Green, Wheeler also couldn’t get ahead of Pompey’s wing wizards in the pecking order.

But the QPR loanee was handed only one started during the promotion push and, in truth, struggled to make a real impression at PO4.

To his credit, the Blues may not be heading to Wembley without Wheeler.

He netted the winner in the 1-0 Checkatrade Trophy quarter-final victory over Peterborough.

Wheeler played 18 times for Jackett’s side before he was recalled by the Hoops.

The 27-year-old subsequently moved to League Two side MK Dons for the rest of the season and he's been a lot closer to the fray.

Wheeler has made 10 appearances during the Dons’ play-off charge, scoring once.

Joe Mason

Unfortunately for the forward, Pompey fans will best remember him for blazing a penalty out of the stadium at Crawley.

Mason endured a tough time at Fratton Park, despite being highly rated by Jackett.

He was handed only four appearances for the Blues – which included just one substitute outing in the league.

It was no surprise his loan deal wasn’t extended when it expired on January 2 and he went back to Wolves.

Mason was released from the Premier League outfit on January transfer deadline day and still remains without a club.

He turned down a move to Plymouth, while Charlton were interested but owner Roland Duchatelet has refused to sanction the move.