Meet the Waterlooville lad representing Portsmouth on the global stage while the coronavirus suspends football

But now all eyes will be on Dan Skeggs as he prepares to represent Pompey in an inaugural international tournament.

While the football out on the pitch has been postponed due to the coronavirus, it still goes on in the virtual world.

With no Premier League or EFL games taking place until at least April 3, Leyton Orient have come up with the initiative to host a tournament on the video game FIFA 20.

It’s to raise funds for Football League clubs whose finances will be hit by suspension of the leagues.

Not only that but it fills the void left by the suspension of real-life league games. It gives fans a chance to get a modicum of their competitive juices flowing in a light-hearted manner on social media.

Pompey are one of the 128 clubs to enter along with the likes of European giants Manchester City, Benfica and AS Roma.

Skeggs will be holding the control pad on behalf of the Blues and has been drawn against Irish outfit Dundalk in the first round.

The Waterlooville lad is well known by the moniker of Flair in the electronic sports (e-Sports) world – and FIFA in particular.

His Youtube videos of himself playing Ultimate Team, the mode in the game that enables you to build teams using any players from every league, have garnered thousands of views apiece.

Now he’ll step into the combined role of Kenny Jackett and his players, tasked with getting Pompey as far as possible.

Skeggs, 21, said: ‘When Pompey tweeted out they were looking someone, I responded.

‘One of the guys who I live with is also a Pompey fan, so I hoped it’d be me or him who'd get it.

‘I just fancied it because it's my hometown team and someone who I’ve been supporting since I was young.

‘After I finished college, I wasn’t sure whether to work or go to university.

‘This dream was working pretty well for me so I gave it a punt and my dad was understanding.

‘I’ve been doing it about a year now and I love what I do.’

But by Skeggs’ own admission, the playing side of things on FIFA isn’t his strong point.

Instead, his forte is to shrewdly spot trends in the transfer market on Ultimate Team to make a profit.

In contrast, the former Purbrook Park pupil will be coming up against some of the best players in the world.

Manchester City, for example, have their own eSports team that’s designed to help build their global brand.

Skeggs, who played as a centre-back for Cowplain Youth as a junior, undoubtedly knows it’s going to be tall order..

He added: ‘Competitively, I’m not amazing at the game, which is why it’s a bit worrying! All eyes are going to be on me with no football on which, as I say, is a bit worrying!

‘Ultimate Team is my main focus and I've been doing it since I was about 14. I played football for about eight or nine years and all my mates played Ultimate Team as well.

‘I enjoy the trading aspect of it. That’s my main thing, making money from the market off that. It’s like the stock market where you can predict trends.

‘Some of these teams are getting guys who are the best players in the world, who are like the Man City of e-Sports.

‘About a year or two ago, I’d play pretty well competitively but the trading side is my strong point.

‘I’ve probably played 100 games this year and a few hundred last year, but these pros have probably played 10 fold to me.

‘Everyone’s used to having their own teams so this will be good fun. Manchester City have a big e-Sports team.

‘I'll just see how far I get. If I knock someone who’s deemed to be very good at the game, I'd be happy.’

Skeggs has been preparing by playing practice games with his housemates, trying to figure out the Pompey XI he’ll be starting with.

However, he wishes it was a member of Jackett's squad representing the Blues – just like Todd Cantwell and Andros Townsend are doing for Norwich and Crystal Palace respectively.

He said: 'I’ve been playing with my housemates to practice and I'll go with a 4-2-2-2 formation. My centre-backs I’ve been changing and I do want to get Christian Burgess in because I love him and what he does outside of football.

‘Up front is the man-of-the-moment Ronan Curtis, I was playing around with him on the game and he’s a great player up top alongside Ellis Harrison.

‘If I play Man City then it’ll be five at the back, throw it up long to one of the big boys like Oli Hawkins for the nods down!

‘If you had footballer representing their team then people would love that. If Andros Townsend was facing Christain Burgess, it'd be great. I'd be pretty happy to sit out and see footballers take on footballers.’