'He's in the form of his Portsmouth life': John Mousinho heaps praise on rejuvenated Fratton favourite
The former Lincoln and Manchester United man has made 96 appearances since joining in July 2023
Regan Poole is in the greatest form of his Fratton Park career.
That’s the verdict of John Mousinho, who is adamant the centre-half has ‘elevated his performances’ to new heights after almost three-and-a-half years with Pompey.
Since being restored to the starting XI against Southampton, the 28-year-old has made six successive appearances, including Saturday’s goalless draw at Burnley.
Turf Moor was yet another man-of-the-match display for the ex-Manchester United man, with the Blues conceding just five goals during that period - and losing once.
And with the Clarets representing a 96th career match for Pompey, Mousinho is convinced Poole has never played better.
‘This is the best he has ever played in a Pompey shirt’
He told The News: ‘I have been very, very consistent with my faith in Jojo, that’s nothing new. I’m not speaking about his talent or ability after the event.
‘To be honest, with Regan, I knew he could get to these levels - this is the best he has ever played in a Pompey shirt.
‘He’s playing really well. Regan was really good when he first came in in that League One season and then it took him a while to get back from that horrific knee injury.
‘Even by Regan’s own admission, he was doing well, he had some very, very good performances, but the consistency over the past few weeks has seen him elevate his game.
‘He has been a brilliant signing for us, we missed him when he came out of the side and we've gone back to a level now that we know he can compete at.
‘I’m very, very pleased for him, he’s such a fantastic young lad to work with, from the leadership qualities, from the ability to drive and galvanise a team. What you get from Regan is exactly what you see.
‘Speak to any head coach or manager around the country, when you have players like that who are willing to give you everything, they are worth their weight in gold.’
Saturday marked Conor Shaughnessy’s return to the squad following a five-game injury absence, although he was unused off the bench.
Meanwhile, Benjy Arthur is expected back in January, having been sidelined since September with a back fracture.
And Mousinho has warned Poole and Dia they must maintain their excellent current form to keep their centre-half rivals at bay.
‘They’ve got to keep those levels up’
He added: ‘If you look at the pair of them at the moment, they certainly deserve to be playing every single week.
‘The two of them have been very good together and were good again on Saturday. They’ve got to keep those levels up because there’s competition now with Shocks coming back and very, very quickly it will be the back end of Christmas and Benjy will be back as well.
‘It’s so brilliant to see them playing well and taking pride in keeping those clean sheets.’