Latest: Portsmouth boss' frustration as Jacob Farrell wait drags on
John Mousinho has spoken of his frustration after one appearance in four months for summer signing Jacob Farrell.
The left-back breezed into Fratton Park in July after being an integral part of the Central Coast Mariners side which clinched successive A-League titles.
Indeed, it was Farrell who laid on Ryan Edmondson’s goal which sealed a 3-1 triumph over Melbourne Victory in the Grand Final clash to retain their crown.
However, a MCL injury has dogged the 22-year-old’s early days on the south coast, with a start in September against Sheffield United his sole appearance to date.
What’s more, Farrell has still to return to full training following the latest set-back.
Mousinho told The News: ‘Jacob is out on the grass, he’s not a million miles away, but hasn’t returned to full training yet, so we’re still not looking at anything imminent in terms of playing.
‘It is really frustrating. He picked up an injury early on when he came over and was out for a while with that, then he came back, had a good couple of training weeks, played against Sheffield United and injured himself in training a couple of days later.
‘He has hardly trained and played just one game, although has been available for a couple more matches, but wasn’t in the squad.
‘The only thing we can judge Jacob on is that Sheffield United game where he grew into it really well. He ended up coming off the pitch to plaudits from everybody in the stadium and those who watched it.
‘He had a tough opening half-an-hour from (Jesurun) Rak-Sakyi, who was excellent, he’s one of the best wingers at this level, but then Jacob got to grips with that and looked very, very confident as the game went on.
‘He grew into the second half and probably should have come away from that game having scored the winner from that corner and possibly picking up man of the match and a clean sheet.
‘That’s all we can judge him on at the moment. If that’s anything to go by, I think we've signed a good player.’
Farrell missed just five league matches for Central Coast Mariners last season, totalling 25 appearances, two goals and four assists.
Indeed, he had been a first-team regular since a teenager, with little indication of the injury issues which have subsequently occurred since arriving in England.
Mousinho added: ‘It’s always frustrating for any player to get injured, particularly when you’re a new signing at a football club looking to come over and make an impact.
‘He’s managed to tweak his MCL again and it’s one of those things. It’s very, very difficult sometimes to pinpoint injuries.
‘Jacob’s injury record coming into the season was very good, he had played a lot of games over the past couple of seasons. Unfortunately, he’s now picked up a couple of back-to-back injuries which have kept him out for a long time.’