Portsmouth boss Kenny Jackett: Five-day break can clear the head of Wigan target Jamal Lowe

Now the Blues boss is banking on the Wigan target making the ‘right decision’ over his footballing future.

Lowe today returned to training having been excused from Pompey duty since Saturday.

Wigan’s stubborn pursuit has turned the head of the winger, who is prepared to quit Fratton Park to test himself in the Championship.

As a consequence, Jackett felt it beneficial for the 24-year-old to spend time with his young family, away from the pressure situation which presently exists.

Lowe is now in the frame for an outing in Saturday’s friendly at Stevenage.

In the meantime, the Latics continue to close in on a £3m deal. Regardless, Jackett is looking for the unsettled attacker to perform for Pompey.

He said: 'I understand I got the team sheet wrong (at the Hawks), but that does happen in pre-season with maybe 21 or 22 players, Jamal was never set to report on Saturday, it was my decision.

‘I am pleased he is back in training and hopefully with a clear head and ready to work.

‘Giving him the time off was my decision, I thought it was the right thing for him. Having listened to the player and considered everything, I thought it was the right decision.

‘Everybody needs a break from situations sometimes, you need to go away and think about things and, after summing up everything, I thought it was the right thing to do.

‘There has been a lot of speculation over Jamal over a lot of time, sometimes it’s not easy to process that, you need time off to speak to your parents, etc, etc. It’s not always an easy situation when coming in every day.

‘There's a lot of opinions, but he has to do the right thing for himself. Similarly, as ever, we are working towards a good season ourselves and combining the two – both personal and the club – is sometimes a balancing act.

‘The player can refocus – as long as the club have a good relationship with the player and are honest with each other. It’s very important.

‘Jamal is very well thought of inside the club by everybody, we want to try to help him, support him and give him every opportunity to make what we think is the right decision.

‘You need to do that, it’s his life and his future.’

The current Lowe predicament, of course, is not a new scenario for a manager with the experience of Jackett.

He added: ‘I’ve come across it many times and it’s interesting when you listen to other managers around the country talk about similar situations.

‘Harry Maguire is one at Leicester, there are some big clubs chasing him, it happens at every level.’