Portsmouth boss Danny Cowley explains Wrexham target Jay Mingi's Fratton Park stay as former Charlton and West Ham midfielder is handed new deal

The Blues took up the year option they had on the midfielder as they continue to make inroads on securing the services of some of their soon-to-be out-of-contract players.

The 21-year-old joins Marcus Harness and Louis Thompson in signing new one-year deals with the Fratton Park side, with an option in Jayden Reid’s existing terms also expected to be activated.

For Mingi, securing his Pompey stay is just reward after an impressive loan spell at non-league Maidenhead earlier in the season and being a regular fixture in Cowley’s match-days squads over the second half of the campaign.

He was named on the bench 15 times as the Blues finished 10th in the League One standings.

And while only three of those inclusions resulted in substitute appearances, Cowley claimed he saw enough from the former Charlton and West Ham midfielder in his time back training with the first team to know the former triallist deserved another shot at it next term.

Seeing room for yet more growth in a player whom Wrexham were keen to sign in January, the Pompey manager said: ’Jay is a young player on an upward curve and had a really positive first half of last season on loan at Maidenhead.

‘That was unfortunately curtailed by a dislocated shoulder and we had many different options for him – both in the National League and League Two – in January.

‘But we decided to keep him as part of our group and he benefitted from training with us on a consistent basis.

‘We were able to work on different areas of his game – particularly in possession and his ability to seek a pass.

‘It was great to see him make his Football League debut for us and we see further growth in him, so we look forward to supporting Jay in his development.’

Mingi’s stay takes Cowley’s existing squad number up to 13.

The Blues boss said he would like to maintain the services of 17 of last season’s group.

Yet the futures of Sean Raggett, Michael Jacobs, Aiden O’Brien, Reeco Hackett, Shaun Williams and Ollie Webber remain up in the air.

Pompey have until May 21 to reveal their retained/released list.