'A natural-born winner': Ex-Oxford United team-mate on why Portsmouth boss was destined for success

Gavin Whyte admitted his ’shock’ at seeing his former Oxford United team-mate handed a first job in management at Fratton Park.

Nonetheless, the Northern Ireland international had long been convinced that 'natural-born winner' John Mousinho possessed a strong coaching future.

Now the pair are on target to claim a League One promotion together.

They first encountered each other in July 2018 after Whyte signed for Oxford from Belfast-based Crusaders.

The winger would subsequently spend two spells with Mousinho at the Kassam Stadium, before his ex-playing colleague recruited him for the Blues last summer.

And he has been impressed with the Gaffer’s performance on the other side of the fence.

Whyte told The News: ‘The gaffer’s a great man, a great manager, he has been brilliant with me personally, also when I was playing alongside him at Oxford.

‘He helped me when I first came over to England. I was from part-time football and, in my first couple of months at Oxford, I probably struggled a bit, but he put his arm around me and really helped.

‘As a manager, he’s the same as he was as a player. He’s a natural-born winner, he picks boys up when they’re down and he has been brilliant.

‘I always thought he would be a manager. At Oxford, if anyone was going to be a manager then it would be him. He knows a lot about football, is always watching it and always talking about it.

‘To be fair, I was probably a bit shocked when he got the Pompey job, but, fair play to him, he’s been brilliant, everyone loves him at the club and the players really want to play for him.

‘He’s just the same as he was as a player, a down-to-earth guy who tells it how it is. He’s been in the game so long he knows a lot about football, a good man-manager who talks to boys when they aren’t in squads.

‘Fair play to him, I’m really happy for him, hopefully we can go far.’

Whyte was instrumental in Pompey’s huge win at Peterborough on Saturday, setting up Kusini Yengi for the only goal of the game.

It was a rare high point for the 28-year-old, who had previously struggled to make an impact with the Blues.

He added: ‘He (Mousinho) knows that I want to play, so hopefully I've given him a bit of a headache.

‘Even if I’m not playing, I’m a big fan, I will always cheer on the boys. I can’t really complain because the boys who have been playing have done their job recently.

‘I can’t just come in and take their spot when they haven't done anything wrong.’