Portsmouth boss weighs up Ebou Adams involvement for Leicester City survival battle
Ebou Adams is back! Now Pompey boss John Mousinho has to weigh up the Derby County signing’s involvement for the huge survival showdown at Fratton Park.
John Mousinho acknowledged the boost Ebou Adams’ return brings as he welcomed Pompey’s midfield general back to the fold.
The Blues boss is weighing up the new Fratton favourite’s level of involvement for tomorrow’s critical survival six-pointer with Leicester City.
Mousinho on Adams return: ‘It’s a big boost’
And Mousinho is considering the attributes of all his available midfield options, as he mulls over the best pairing to take on Gary Rowett’s men.
The Pompey head coach has confirmed the £500,000 January arrival from Derby County is set to return for the clash at Fratton Park, after being ruled out for four games when suffering a knee injury in the 6-1 thrashing at QPR.
Adams was ticking off the final milestones of his rehabilitation this week, with Mousinho needing to weigh up his level of involvement following a big impact over the second half of the season.
Marlon Pack has impressed on a run of 12 starts on the spin going into the weekend, while Andre Dozzell has been a central factor in Pompey’s upturn in fortunes since his return from two months out with an ankle injury.
Adams’ presence undoubtedly giving Mousinho’s selection options a shot in the arm, however.
He said: ‘It’s a big boost. It’s another player in the middle of the park, one we’ve missed since Ebou’s picked up the injury.
‘So to have the squad depth and have another option, for us, is brilliant.
‘It’s an area where we’ve picked up a couple of injuries and we haven’t had the balance we would’ve wanted at times.
‘So we’ve shuffled around with selection a little bit, but Doz (Dozzell) and Marlon (Pack) are doing very well in there at the moment.
‘We’ve got the experience of Marlon with his ball-playing ability and someone who can sit in as a six and dictate play.
‘We’ve then got Doz with that energy and technical quality going forward, then there’s Ebou who offers that power and a really different side to that which complements what we have.
‘There’s then Luke (Le Roux) who is tidy technically and gets around the pitch as well,
‘I thought Luke came in and did a really good job in there at Norwich as well. So it’s really good to have that option. I think we do have four very different profiles in there for me to consider.’
Adams ready to bring ‘all-action performances’ back to Pompey fray
Adams is returning after his injury hiatus put an end to 13 unbroken starts following his arrival in the new year.
The 30-year-old quickly made himself an indispensable part of Mousinho’s side, with that drive now set to be a big part of the final four games.
Mousinho added: ‘Ebou instantly made himself a fan favourite after that goal against Southampton and then that goal against West Brom. It’s just the all-action nature of his performances as well he offers.’