How promising former West Ham United hope hid torn muscle to earn Portsmouth deal after Charlton Athletic exit

But after giving Jay Mingi a ticking off for hiding an injury as he aimed to win a Pompey deal, Danny Cowley privately admitted he liked what it said about the promising midfielder’s character.

Now, 12 months on, the Londoner enters the new campaign as one of the big plus points of pre-season.

Thoughts of a loan departure have been put on the backburner, with Cowley liking what he’s seen of Mingi’s power and drive in the summer warm-up games.

As he looks back on the period which sealed his arrival, the 21-year-old admitted he shouldn’t have gone down the path of hiding a hip problem.

But then again if he didn’t, he maybe wouldn’t be going into this season tipped for a potential surprise first-team emergence.

‘It was my hip-flexor I tore when I came here,’ Mingi explained, as he relieved last summer’s events.

‘It was a grade 2B tear, which stopped me from raising my knee up and things like that.

‘I did it while I was on trial and played through it - which the gaffer told me wasn’t the best thing to do!

‘I kind of kept it quiet, because when you are on trial you are fighting for your life.

‘I went into survival mode so it was like fight or flight.

‘The manager just said after: “don’t do that again - if there’s a problem, let me know”.’

‘When I left Charlton, I didn’t have a back-up plan, though.

‘It wasn’t a case of this or nothing, but I didn’t want to be delaying the process of having no club.

‘The first day I walked in me and Jayden (Reid) knew this was a place we wanted to be - it’s a first-team environment.

‘I know how much better I’d be if I was in this environment continuously.

‘At Charlton I wasn’t there, so to me it felt like a move which made a lot of sense.

‘Maybe that’s why I did what I did!’

After a year at Pompey Mingi has adjusted to life on the south coast with ease, swapping sometimes hectic east London for a more sedate waterside existence at Gunwharf Quays.

After moving away from his family for the first time, the former Charlton and West Ham talent has enjoyed going it alone and being able to solely focus on becoming the best player he can be.

He added: ‘I’m from Hackney and it can be carnage at times in London.

‘At Portsmouth I can just do me, stay indoors and not do too much!

‘It gives me a chance to just focus on me.

‘I’m living alone for the first time and I haven’t burnt the house down yet, so I think I'm doing alright.

‘It’s different but it’s been good. It’s been way better than I ever thought it would be.

‘I’m enjoying it a lot.’

After making the first-team breakthrough towards the end of last season, the ambitions are clear for Mingi moving forward.

Even in Pompey’s stacked midfield, he’s looking for playing time - and when it comes to his club’s aims the target is crystal clear.

Mingi said: ‘Everyone’s minds are on the play-offs.

‘Last season, I’d say it was close, but it wasn’t close enough.

‘There’s no doubt about it we should be pushing for play-offs - and I want to play my part.

‘Not that there’s anything wrong with a loan, but I want to play here. I’ve had a taste of it, now I want it all.

‘With the squad we have the play-offs should be the aim - that’s what is on everyone’s minds.’