Portsmouth boss' surprise reaction to Birmingham City, West Brom and Huddersfield Town interest in former West Ham youngster

And the Pompey boss is adamant he isn’t worried the midfielder could depart Fratton Park next month.

The 22-year-old has enjoyed a successful start to the campaign, responding impressively to the head coach’s SOS message after injuries ripped through his ranks.

This has seen him amass 25 outings for the Blues to date and has established himself as a solid asset in the engine room.

After shooting out of the blocks this term reports surfaced on Monday linking Mingi with a move to the Championship, with West Brom, Huddersfield and Birmingham all credited with interest.

The trio were said to be keeping tabs on the former West Ham man’s situation at Fratton Park, with his current deal set to run out in the summer.

However, CEO Andy Cullen was quick to shut those rumours down and revealed talks are ongoing with the midfielder to keep him beyond the end of the season at PO4.

Cowley has previously insisted his desire to tie the youngster down long-term and claimed he’ll prove a valuable asset in years to come.

But the Blues boss has stated the latest links must be taken as a positive, underlining the success he’s achieved so far this season.

He told The News: ‘Our focus is just on the performance.

‘Jay is a young player, I think he’s grown by the day.

‘He’s been great to watch and to be involved in his journey and help support his journey.

‘He deserves absolutely all the credit and when a young player does well, like Jay has, then naturally there will be interest.

‘That never scares us, but I’m worried if we have players that don’t have any interest.

‘For us it’s very much a back-handed compliment.’

Mingi had a 12-month option triggered by the club in May after making three outings at the end of last term, along with a loan stay at Maidenhead.

After injuries to Marlon Pack, Joe Morrell, Tom Lowery and Louis Thompson in the opening months of the season, the youngster has cemented his spot in the middle of the park.

This has seen him start six of the past seven matches in all competitions, and also netted his maiden career goal in the 3-0 Papa John’s Trophy victory over Stevenage last week.

There are midfielders on the way back for Pompey, however, with Cowley handed a significant boost as Lowery and Thompson hope to return for their Boxing Day trip to Exeter.