'It's not one size fits all': Portsmouth boss' warning over Madiodio Dia's first-team inclusion
The defender was among seven January signings for the Blues in their bid to remain in the Championship
John Mousinho believes Pompey must bide their time before handing Madiodio Dia a first-team opportunity.
Although the Blues head coach is convinced the former FK Haugesund centre-half has ‘got the lot’ in terms of exciting potential.
Despite being recruited in a £600,000 deal on deadline day, the Senegal defender didn't arrive in England until late on Wednesday evening, having required a work visa.
Expected to be involved in his first Pompey training session on Friday, Mousinho had previously ruled out Dia being included in Saturday’s trip to Preston.
The 23-year-old has not featured in competitive action since October, with Norwegian football presently in pre-season ahead of their 2026 campaign.
And Mousinho believes Dia requires a little time to bed in before being thrown into Pompey playing action in the Championship.
‘It might be a couple of weeks before he is ready’
He told The News: ‘Madiodio is physically dominant, 6ft 4in, good in the air, moves well, good on the ball - and has a huge amount of potential in all of those areas.
‘There are a lot of areas of his game we need to iron out, some of the errors and some of the weaknesses, but, in terms of potential, he’s got the lot.
‘However, it’s one of those that he might be a couple of weeks before he is ready for first-team action.
‘There isn’t a one size fits all on this one, there are a lot of factors to consider. If you’re bringing in a foreign player like Gustavo in the middle of the season, there’s the fact that he’s been playing games as recently as January 29, so has decent-enough match fitness, good match sharpness, but he has come from the other side of the world.
‘It’s a shorter trip for Dia, coming from Norway, but he hasn’t played since October, so it’s different considerations.
‘I can’t give you an exact time and date for every single player, like it’s going to be a blanket statement that every player comes over and it’s three weeks before they are ready to play. We just have to take it as it comes.’
Last match on October 18
FK Haugesund were relegated from the Eliteserien in November, having finished bottom with nine points from 30 matches.
Dia’s last appearance was a 4-1 defeat to Brann on October 18. He was subsequently an unused substitute for a match, before not being considered for the final four games due to undergoing a medical procedure on his nose.
Pompey will now attempt to get the defender up to speed for Championship football, although Mousinho is confident the youngster will ‘adjust pretty well’.
‘He should adjust pretty well’
He added: ‘We play in a top European league and a lot of the Scandinavian League players come over and do very well over here. That’s rife across the board.
‘Preston are a really good example of having players who have come in and adjusted really quickly from those Scandinavian leagues.
‘I suspect having played senior football and come over and had a pre-season behind him, Madiodio should adjust pretty well.’
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