Portsmouth boss Danny Cowley gives main reason why Haji Mnoga will be be sent out on loan again this season - with League Two most likely destination

Danny Cowley has spelt out exactly why Haji Mnoga will be heading out on loan this season.
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The Pompey boss is determined to get 35-plus senior games on the 20-year-old’s CV before the campaign is out.

And the only way he believes that will be possible is by sending the Blues academy product out again on a temporary basis.

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Cowley has been successful in arranging loan deals for all is youngsters this term, with the likes of Toby Steward joining Bognor, Harry Jewit-White heading to Gosport and Dan Gifford moving to Weymouth.

There’s a real eagerness to get the younger members of the squad the right environment to ensure their development continues at a rate that suits Pompey.

But because Mnoga sits closer to the first-team picture than those youngsters around him, the Blues head coach has had to think long and hard about the defender’s next step.

A ‘nightmare’ spell at Bromley over the first half of last season was followed by a more productive stint at Weymouth, where the centre-back played 19 league games for the National League South outfit.

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Mnoga took that confidence-building spell at the Bob Lucas Stadium into pre-season at Pompey, where he regularly impressed as the Blues made their preparations for the 2022-23 season.

Haji Mnoga played the full 90 minutes as Pompey suffered a 3-2 defeat at Newport in the Carabao Cup on Tuesday nightHaji Mnoga played the full 90 minutes as Pompey suffered a 3-2 defeat at Newport in the Carabao Cup on Tuesday night
Haji Mnoga played the full 90 minutes as Pompey suffered a 3-2 defeat at Newport in the Carabao Cup on Tuesday night

But following the arrival of the experienced Michael Morrison on a free transfer, he’s been pushed down the pecking order.

He’s featured twice this season in the Carabao Cup, yet hasn’t been involved in a league squad since the visit of Lincoln to Fratton Park on August 6.

Form a selfish perspective, Cowley would love to keep Mnoga in and around his first team.

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However, he knows that won’t benefit anyone – especially the player.

With a loan switch to a League Two side the ideal scenario for all, the manager said: ‘We still believe this is the right thing for Haji.

‘Like a conversation I had with him last week, if I was selfish and I was doing what I felt was best for me, then I would definitely keep Haji in the building.

‘But for him and his career, and if we really want to invest in our young players, then we have to try to make long-term decisions for them and, for Haji, this year, the focus was on trying to get him to play 35-senior games-plus.

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‘So if we don’t think that is going to be with us, then it makes sense to try to find him that loan move that will allow us to keep accelerating his development’.

For Tanzania international Mnoga to join a League Two side on loan this season, a deal needs to be in place before Thursday’s 11pm transfer deadline.