Portsmouth boss Danny Cowley responds to claims of Arsenal unhappiness over Miguel Azeez treatment

The Gunners starlet made only his second Pompey appearance when he entered from the bench against Cheltenham last night.

He featured for 17 minutes after replacing Reeco Hackett in the 1-1 draw as the Fratton faithful were handed a rare glimpse of his talents.

Earlier in the day, Football.London reported Arsenal are concerned over the England under-20 international’s lack of game time and could be recalled from his season-long loan in January.

However, Cowley refuted such claims – and is adamant the Premier League giants are fully on side with Azeez’s treatment.

He told The News: ‘I thought Miguel was bright against Cheltenham last night.

He has worked really hard on his game behind the scenes, it’s so different to the football he knows. He’s been trying to build up physically, and build his intensity and combativeness.

‘He earned it last night. Reeco was tired and it was an opportunity for him to come in and impact the team.

‘There have been no issues with Arsenal. We speak to them regularly, we have very good dialogue with them and a very good relationship.

‘They know we are working really, really hard with Miguel and I think they believe this has been a brilliant loan for him to this point.

‘They trust me and know we are desperate for Miguel to be a success here, that’s why we have brought him in.

‘We are also respectful that he’s only a young boy – aged 19 – and has never seen this level of football before.

‘He’s just learning and working out how he can use his skill set and be effective at this level.’

Azeez has been given permission by his parent club to feature for Pompey in the FA Cup, with Cowley’s men hosting Harrow Borough on Saturday.

A message from the Editor, Mark Waldron

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