Odin Bailey has taken his chance well after being handed his first Pompey start against Swansea last week

Odin Bailey has given John Mousinho ‘a real selection headache’.

That’s the verdict of Jordan Cross, who believes the free transfer summer arrival has passed his Pompey audition playing in the No10 role with flying colours.

So much so that he insists the 26-year-old deserves to start for a third successive game in the position at Bolton next time out.

That would see the former Stockport County and Birmingham midfielder picked ahead of the likes of Abu Kamara, Adrian Segecic, Josh Murphy and Ryan Kavuma-McQueen in the attacking three that operates behind the solitary striker, which is likely to be Tyrese Shade.

It’s a call that would have been considered crazy just a matter of weeks ago. But with Bailey taking his game to the next level against Swansea and Stoke, Cross believes it’s no-longer a far-fetched prospect.

‘He's given him a real selection headache’.

Bailey has had to be patient since moving to Fratton Park from Edgeley Park for nothing in the summer.

He hadn’t made the starting XI in any fixture prior to the Swans’ visit to PO4 last week, with his seven appearances up until then coming from the bench.

He’s also been asked to occupy a variety of different positions.

Now, however, Cross believes Bailey has the right to demand a starting role in his favourite position, at the expense of some of the Blues’ so-called bigger names.

Speaking in the latest episode of Pompey Talk, The Blues writer said: ‘He's had to be very, very patient.

‘But every time he's come on for Pompey, and he's played in a number of different positions, I don't think he's had a bad game, from playing on the left side at West Ham earlier in the season and a couple of other times doing that.

‘In his preferred number 10 position, he's kind of been impressive all the way, but that's gone to another level in the past two games.

‘I was very close to giving him man of the match against Swansea. Obviously, it just got superseded by Terry Devlin getting those two goals.

‘And I think Neil Allen, our colleague, gave him man of the match at the weekend against Stoke. I think that would have been on the strength of what I thought was an excellent (performance).

‘I thought him and Regan Poole were standout players in the first half.

‘John Mousinho has been saying he's been excellent, and he's given him a real selection headache.

‘So it's been a real decent positive emergence from Odin, and gun to the head time now, having Pompey return after the international break, I think I would have him down in the starting XI as Pompey go at Bolton.

‘Certainly in that 10 position, because he's given a really good couple of auditions there now, and there’s no reason to take him out the side.’

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