'Nothing to worry about': Portsmouth boss addresses Brentford loanee's sudden squad absence

John Mousinho insists the door remains open for Myles Peart-Harris, despite his squad omission.

The Brentford loanee was left out of Pompey's match-day 18 against Derby, with Tino Anjorin preferred among the substitutes. In the previous Good Friday fixture at Wycombe, the attacker had been dropped to the bench and unused, marking the end of four successive starts for the League One leaders.

Crucially, the 21-year-old has been unable to match the high standards set by an outstanding debut against Port Vale during his 10 Blues appearances.

But with Shrewsbury visiting Fratton Park on Saturday, Mousinho is adamant Peart-Harris remains in his thoughts.

He told The News: ‘Myles can count himself really, really unlucky to have been left out of the squad having been such a huge part of the team since joining. He’s made a real impact.

‘I try to convince the players that it’s nothing to worry about. It’s just the fact I’ve picked a starting 11 and seven on the bench which I think are going to affect that particular game.

‘It’s purely a reflection of the squad and how deep it is. We’ve had a few injuries come back and sometimes getting the right balance on the bench is really difficult. Ensuring we’re making as many good decisions as possible is what we live and die by as coaches.

‘I have spoken to Myles and given an honest opinion about how those playing against Derby - and on the bench suited that match. That can change very, very quickly for the Shrewsbury game.

‘It’s a completely different match, it is going to be approached in a different way, looking at them and what’s going to suit us on the day. We’ve changed winning teams, we’ve changed a team that has performed brilliantly well.

‘Certain games suit certain players and there’s no better example than Zak Swanson being absolutely outstanding against Wycombe and then coming out of the side because I thought Derby suited Joe Rafferty.

‘I have done that all season, we’ve had players go from out of the squad to starting line-ups and vice versa.’

On the face of it, the return to fitness of Anjorin pits a new rival to Peart-Harris’ first-team spot.

The pair were Chelsea Academy team-mates at Chelsea under assistant head coach Jon Harley, but Mousinho denies it’s a straight choice between them.

He added: ‘I don’t think it’s one or the other. Probably people draw a lot of comparisons between the two because of their Chelsea background and similar positions, but they both bring different qualities.

‘There are certainly situations where I think you can get both of them on the pitch, if not on the bench.

‘One of the things I’ve said to Myles is the impact he’s had is magnificent. He wasn’t here for the first game of the unbeaten run of 14, but has been involved in almost all the rest.’