Danny Cowley addresses Portsmouth future of Callum Johnson as he eyes summer right-back hunt

But he insists the door is not closed on out-of-favour Callum Johnson.

Johnson has made 28 appearances and scored four times since joining Saturday’s visitors Fleetwood on loan in August.

Under terms of the arrangement, he is unable to face his parent club in the Fratton Park encounter.

The 25-year-old’s Blues contract expires at the season’s end, although the club possess an option to extend his stay by another 12 months.

With Mahlon Romeo expected to return to Millwall in the summer, it will leave Kieron Freeman as the sole contracted right-back at the club.

Yet Cowley won’t rule out Johnson remaining on the south coast upon his scheduled loan return from Fleetwood.

He told The News: ‘Right-back is an area we need to recruit in during the summer.

‘We have loved having Mahlon with us, he’s a great kid, we think an awful lot of him. He’s had some really good performances for us at Pompey.

‘We are open-minded with Callum (on his future), we are always open-minded.

‘When we spoke to Callum in pre-season, it was very clear that he wanted to play. I was very honest with him at that point to say I didn't know how much football he would play and thought there were maybe others in front of him at this moment.

‘As a consequence, there was an opportunity for him to go out on loan at Fleetwood that allowed us to bring some finance back in and use it accordingly.

‘It is always for us to have an open mind. There’s an option on his contract, so we are very open-minded and will continue to monitor his progress at Fleetwood.

‘He has played pretty regularly, been a starter most weeks, and we have obviously kept a close eye on his performances.

‘It has been good to see him involved in some assists and scoring some goals.

Johnson played 11 successive games for Cowley at the end of last season as the Blues failed to reach the League One play-offs.

He then appeared as a substitute in the 1-0 win at Fleetwood on the opening day of the 2021-22 season.

The following match saw him dismissed at Millwall in the Carabao Cup, proving to be his most recent Pompey outing to date.

Johnson subsequently moved to the Cod Army towards the end of August.

Cowley added: ‘Fleetwood were willing to pay all of his wages and we were then able to use all that money to bring another player in. Mahlon came in just after Callum went out.

‘Callum is a young player who is a very dedicated professional and has a very good attitude and good work ethic, wanting to get better every day.

‘There is a lot to Callum’s game to like.’

A message from the Editor, Mark Waldron

You can support our local team of expert Pompey writers by subscribing here for all the latest news from Fratton Park for 9p a day, thanks to our 30%-off transfer window deal.