Portsmouth boss' words of encouragement for the forgotten ex-Sheffield United and Derby man he has never picked

But Pompey’s head coach is adamant the door has not been slammed shut on forgotten man Kieron Freeman.

Mousinho has now overseen the Blues for 13 matches, yielding seven wins, but it has been a familiar tale of frustration for one member of the playing staff.

Freeman, so regularly overlooked by Danny Cowley, has still to play a single minute under the new regime, while included for just three squads.

Overall, the right-back has played once in almost four months, arriving as a 64th-minute substitute in Papa Johns Trophy defeat at Bolton – 10 days before Mousinho’s appointment.

And while the likes of Clark Robertson and Jay Mingi are now pushing to return following injury, Freeman continues to be overlooked.

Mousinho told The News: ‘Kieron has been great around the place ever since I came in, he hasn’t been negative at all and is an excellent trainer.

‘We’re trying to get Kieron fit and back up to the standards that he has hit, he’s played in the Premier League quite recently.

‘We know all about Kieron in terms of his ability on the ball and he’s an excellent player. He has been no problem to me whatsoever, a pleasure to have around the place, and great in training.

‘He has probably been a bit unfortunate that Joe Rafferty has come in and done so well, Zak (Swanson) did really well for my first three games and Di’Shon had a really good cameo against Barnsley.

‘Right-back is probably one of the positions where we have a lot of strength in depth.

‘It’s one of those. After injuries it’s about getting back to full fitness, we’re making sure he trains every day and puts himself into contention to play.

‘It's no fault of Kieron’s in terms of where he finds himself at the moment, he’s been no problem whatsoever he trains really well and trains really hard.

‘It’s just a case of those positions opening up at some point – but that’s the challenge for all the players in the squad.’

Since arriving on a free transfer in the summer of 2021, Freeman has featured 32 times – yet once in the league this season.

That has been influenced by injuries, namely a fractured ankle at Oxford United in February 2022 in a freak incident.

Mousinho added: ‘Things can change quickly in football, the biggest thing I would say to players is look at teams one week to the next, they change rapidly.

‘Players always put their heads down when the selection is made for the first game of the season, but have a look at that team and then the last day – I bet it’s drastically different.

‘It’s a long, long season.’