Portsmouth boss open to rethink on Ryan Tunnicliffe's Fratton future after shock Ipswich cameo

The 29-year-old has long appeared destined for the Fratton Park exit, with a move to Australia consistently mooted.

However, with the Blues currently ‘light’ in the centre of midfield, the Blues’ head coach has suggested there could be a rethink.

For only the second time this season, Tunnicliffe was named in a first-team squad when Pompey travelled to Ipswich on Saturday.

He was then employed from the bench ahead of Jay Mingi to replace Joe Morrell in the 66th minute of the 3-2 loss.

It represented only his second outing in the Blues’ last 14 matches in all competitions.

But with the Australian transfer window closing on October 15, Cowley has cast a little doubt over whether Tunnicliffe will now be departing.

He told The News: ‘Will Ryan stay? I think anything is possible, you never know. I’ve lived football long enough to know to expect the unexpected.

‘We hope not because we are light in that area and have Tom Lowery injured and Louis Thompson with a broken leg.

‘Ryan has trained well, he played 75 minutes in the friendly against Chelsea the other Friday, he’ll get some more minutes on Tuesday night in the Papa John’s Trophy, and I think this is all positive.

‘We are light in there at the moment and we needed him (on Saturday) – and he did fine.

‘Joe Morrell picked up something from the Welsh camp, some kind of flu, and nearly missed the game. He suffers from asthma, so it’s a kind of double whammy in those situations.

‘Ryan replaced him, while Jay Mingi suffers from a thing called compartment syndrome and was suffering in the warm-up.

‘He’s a very powerful boy and his shins fill up with blood, so he has this feeling of pressure which makes it very uncomfortable.’

Tunnicliffe is out of contract at the season’s end and found himself fifth choice in the centre of midfield at the start of the campaign.

With Thompson absent until January, Lowery recovering from a grade-one hamstring tear and now issues with Mingi, the ex-Manchester United man has forced his way back in.

Cowley has been careful never to close the door on the player he recruited from Luton in the summer of 2021.

In an injury-impacted season, Tunnicliffe last term made 32 appearances and scored twice.

Yet on Saturday, he couldn’t prevent the Blues losing their unbeaten League One record at the hands of Ipswich.

Cowley added: ‘I thought we had times in the first half when it was difficult, but we came through it – and in the second half it didn’t feel like they were the better team for me.

‘Perhaps I have my Pompey glasses on, but, as manager, you normally feel it if you haven't the momentum or control of the game.

‘However, it felt like we were in a good place.’

A message from the Editor, Mark Waldron

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