Danny Cowley lifts lid on Portsmouth future for former Rotherham United, Aberdeen and Blackpool defender amid Derby County links

The Blues skipper’s deal is set to expire at the end of the campaign, with the club not publicly declaring any option in their favour over that agreement.

It follows after the 29-year-old was linked with a shock move away from Fratton Park in January, with rivals Derby eyeing a swoop.

However, Cowley was quick to shut those rumours down, insisting his captain is not for sale in the upcoming window.

Robertson has made 46 appearances during his stay on the south coast, which has seen him find the net on three occasions.

The centre-back has had his injury concerns, having been sidelined by a hamstring issue last term before missing the opening weeks of this season due to a foot problem.

Regardless, the Blues head coach has hailed the quality his skipper brings to the team and revealed he wants to keep the central defender beyond his current Fratton Park deal.

He told The News: ‘Clark is our captain, he’s a really consistent performer and he’s a top player.

‘He’s got so many qualities defensively and also offensively with the left foot that he has, the range of pass he has and the ability to break lines with his passes.

‘We would absolutely love to keep him.’

Robertson has recently played alongside Sean Raggett and Michael Morrison, with Cowley using a back three against MK Dons and Wycombe.

That has seen all three of his central defenders in use at the same time, and the Blues boss has admitted he’s pleased with the range of quality he has in his back line.

He added: ‘We went to a back three against MK Dons, against a certain opponent.

‘Then leading into the Wycombe game we had some injury issues at right-back so we only had one system available to us.

‘All three players are hugely experienced, they’ve very competitive, very good physically and have got a lot of qualities with how they possess the ball.

‘We are lucky to have those qualities in that area of the pitch.’