'A bit of patience': Portsmouth boss on when Fratton faithful will see best of Everton and Brighton-linked winger

And he’s convinced it will be next season before the Fratton faithful can savour the Northern Ireland international at his best.

Crowned Sky Bet League One Young Player of the Season last term and subsequently linked with Premier League clubs, the 22-year-old represented an exciting January acquisition.

Yet early Pompey impressions were hampered by not being handed a consistent position and a hamstring injury.

Having started the last three Blues fixtures, Lane is now reminding supporters why he is so highly regarded.

And with a maiden Pompey pre-season under his belt, Mousinho believes the winger will flourish in the 2023-24 campaign.

He told The News: ‘Paddy had that injury and those things are going to happen, hopefully not a huge amount over his time here.

‘We’re going to have to work with Paddy on his physicality and resilience because we need to keep him fit for 46 games.

‘When he has come into the side and had a little run, we’ve seen he’s a really, really good player and the final bit is to add goals and assists to his game.

‘I think we’ll see the best of him next season and that's the challenge we have as a coaching staff – and the challenge to Paddy as well.

‘He needs to take the form he showed last season at Fleetwood and the form he has shown in glimpses here and improve upon that.

‘He has a huge amount of potential and that’s the reason we’ve brought him in. He’s one of those players that will really grow and develop here. We have seen flashes and just need to see it consistently over the season.

‘A bit of patience is required with a player who is having his second season as a full-time professional, it’s easy to forget that.

‘Not to give him an excuse, because we’ll be demanding a hell of a lot from him in the summer, but next season is his third and we should up the demand on him and make sure he fulfils his potential.’

Lane has so far made 14 appearances for the Blues, off which five arrived off the bench

And during those outings, Mousinho has pinpointed those displays from the winger which caught his eye.

The Blues’ head coach added: ‘His performance in the away Accrington game, in particular, stands out.

‘He was involved in Lukas Jensen’s sending off, then set up the opener for Joe Pigott, coming in from the left. He was excellent that evening.

‘In our last home game, also against Accrington, he was our most threatening player in terms of trying to break down that back line and grew into the game.

‘At Oxford United, for 62 minutes he was excellent, before we brought him off as an injury precaution because we didn’t want him breaking down again.

‘Even Sheffield Wednesday when he got injured in the 85th minute, for that first period he looked a real threat.’