Jackett praise for Halford but Portsmouth boss looking to within to fill Whatmough void

And the boss added he had enough players already at his disposal to cope with Jack Whatmough’s knee injury.

Jackett ruled out the option of re-signing former Blues defender Halford on Thursday.

The centre-half, who has been without a club since being released by Cardiff at the end of last season, wrote on Twitter that his representative had made contact with the club following Whatmough’s season-ending blow.

The academy graduate’s need for an operation leaves Matt Clarke and Christian Burgess as Pompey’s only recognised centre-backs.

Halford played under Jackett during his brief spell in charge of Rotherham in 2016.

The Blues manager is also familiar with the player’s agent, with the former Fratton favourite sharing the same one as deadline-day signing Viv Solomon-Otabor. 

And while Jackett regards the ex-Wolves talent as a ‘smashing lad’, he put paid to Halford having a second spell at PO4.

‘We’re not looking at free agents at the moment or signing any,’ confirmed Jackett.

‘I do know Greg and I wouldn’t say I’ve never spoken to him down the years because I do know him.

‘He is a smashing lad but I wouldn’t say I’ve never spoken to him or his agent.

‘He shares the same agent as Viv Solomon-Otabor and it’s not like we don’t know who represents him.’

Jackett reiterated his stance that he’s not interested in signing any unattached players following the closure of the January transfer window. 

Despite being without Whatmough, the manager insists he has enough options to cope.

He added: ‘We are not signing any free agents and for us it’s about the players internally.

‘Most importantly, we have a talented group and it’s up to myself as the manager to get the best out of them by finding the right combinations.

‘Our players are good enough.’