'It hasn't quite clicked for him': Portsmouth boss backs summer signing to sparkle after ex-West Ham and Lincoln man's low-key start

Yet he is backing the former West Ham man to flourish in Blues colours upon his return from injury.

Scully is presently nursing a knee issue, sidelining from the last three matches in all competitions.

Regardless, it has so far been a quiet start to the Fratton Park career of a player recruited from Wigan for an undisclosed fee in June.

Mousinho acknowledges Scully’s low-key displays – but is convinced the 24-year-old will prove to be a quality addition if granted patience.

The Blues head coach told The News: ‘Anthony came in and was really sharp and very, very bright in the pre-season games he played, but, by his own admission, one thing he hasn’t quite managed is to have the output he desires on match days.

‘He’s contributed in terms of his work-rate and certainly caused a lot of problems, but just not quite that final product yet.

‘There’s plenty of time for Anthony to progress, he had almost an entire season out last year, some of it through injury, some of it through lack of selection, and it’s just difficult to get back into the groove of league football.

‘There’s no rush, I’m really, really pleased with where he’s at and he’ll have a very, very long and fruitful Pompey career, I am sure.

‘We’ve seen it in abundance in training and pre-season games. I know not everybody got to see the Crawley game, but particularly that, when he scored twice and was excellent.

‘There’s plenty of promise there and it hasn’t quite clicked for him in games, but we know it will and, when it does, I think we’ll see the full version of Anthony Scully that everyone was excited about.

‘He’s dead honest, we’ve had a really good chat with him about it. Obviously he’s had his knee injury and wanted to do best for the team and pushed himself through the pain barrier.

‘Still, Anthony knows exactly what’s expected of him and a lot of it is pressure he puts on himself – but he’ll get it right, there’s no doubt about it.’

Scully has yet to get off the mark for Pompey following six outings since his summer arrival.

Similarly, fellow winger Gavin Whyte is also waiting to register his first goal for the club from his six appearances and presently has a hamstring injury.

Mousinho added: ‘There’s a big adjustment period coming from where he has.

‘Anthony was successful at Lincoln, but then things didn't quite work out for him at Wigan. With the adjustment of moving and bringing his missus down, all of those things aren’t quite as straightforward as we wish they could be.

‘It takes a bit of time, it takes a bit of time to settle in, a bit of time to settle into the playing system – and he is doing that.’