Portsmouth boss’ challenge to key midfielder which reveals everything about future as ex-Lincoln City, Bristol City and Luton Town man's touted for exit

And the Pompey boss revealed he’s held talks with the midfielder about fulfilling that ambition, as he’s touted for a Fratton exit.

There’s been talk of a departure for the Wales international this summer, following impressive form for club and country.

Mousinho confirmed, however, there has been no interest registered in Morrell, who has a year remaining on his existing deal with a club option to extend his stay for another 12 months.

The 26-year-old is undoubtedly one of the most bankable assets among the current group of Pompey players.

And Morrell has made it clear he has strong ambitions of playing in the Championship moving forward, after two failed efforts at getting out of the division at PO4.

Mousinho is quietly confident of the former Bristol City and Lincoln man being around next term, however, and has taken steps to ensure his availability.

That has seen a focus on injury prevention, but also ensuring Morrell doesn’t pick up unnecessary suspensions moving forward.

The Luton arrival picked up 10 yellow cards last term in addition to two dismissals. Morrell could perhaps feel hard done by for his red card at Fleetwood, but received his marching orders at MK Dons when unnecessarily reacting to a tussle with Daniel Harvie.

Mousinho explained that ground was covered when getting around the table with his player, along with making sure he returns for pre-season in good shape.

He said: ‘I spoke to Joe and we’ve structured a slightly different off season for him, because he’s going to be going away with Wales most likely. That included a couple of training camps and a couple of fixtures in June most probably.

‘So it’s slightly different with Joe, but we’ve focussed on his role here next year, how we sit and how we see him fitting into the team.

‘It’s about how we can get him on the pitch for 46 games without a World Cup, though there are some international breaks.

‘We’ve got that injury prevention to focus on, and also making sure he stays available from a disciplinary point of view.

‘We know when he’s on the pitch Joe makes a huge difference, because he’s an excellent player. He’s fought his way into the starting XI for Wales for a reason, and, to some extent, fought his way into the starting XI here as one of the better and more consistent performers.

‘So we’re really excited about how next season looks for Joe.’

READ MORE: News tonight over Pompey accelerating a move for the Championship winger.