The challenge for £500,000 Crystal Palace capture after offering surprise Portsmouth boost
The Republic of Ireland under-21 international has seen his Fratton Park stay decimated by injury.
Franco Umeh has been tasked with finally showcasing his talent after providing Pompey with a surprise fitness boost.
And John Mousinho admitted the £500,000 signing has been unlucky not to have that opportunity sooner, with his latest injury absence the result of a ‘poor challenge’.
Mousinho on Umeh: ‘Franco is a player with talent’
Umeh offered Mousinho’s injury-hit squad a fillip with an unexpected return to availability, as the Crystal Palace capture took a place on the bench for Saturday’s 2-1 win over Millwall.
It’s been a stay at Fratton Park decimated by injury, with Umeh totalling just 46 minutes of football across two appearances since his arrival last summer.
The 21-year-old arrived with a hamstring injury which proved much more troublesome than anticipated, before suffering a recurrence of that issue against Arsenal in January.
Umeh then suffered an unfortunate setback 11 minutes into his return, in the pre-season win over Kuwait Sports Club at Pompey’s Hilsea training ground.
Mousinho felt that blow was unfortunate, with the hamstring blow following a challenge from an opponent and leading to his latest stint on the sidelines.
Now the Republic of Ireland under-21 international is looking to make up for lost time, with the demand clear from Mousinho as he calls for him to deliver an unbroken run of selection availability.
He said: ‘Franco’s had a long road to recovery again, off the back of injuries against Arsenal and then that injury he picked up in the pre-season game against Kuwait Sports Club.
‘Unfortunately he got injured there following a poor challenge.
‘So it’s lovely to see Franco involved and he now needs to stay fit, because we know he’s got ability.
‘He’s done well to get himself back in now.
‘Franco is a player with talent and I’ve seen him many times.
‘We got a couple of glimpses of him last year around Christmas time and in the Arsenal game.
‘Ultimately he’s a player we’re going to talk about now needing to stay fit to be able to show what he can do.’
Umeh’s return to fitness comes with Mousinho expecting other squad members to come back into the equation for Saturday’s long trip to Burnley.
Conor Shaughnessy and Josh Murphy are both expected to be available for the Turf Moor clash after groin injuries.
The pair were considered for Saturday’s win over Millwall, but Mousinho opted to be cautious over the duo.
Speaking after the 2-1 win at Fratton Park, the Pompey boss said: Shaughs and Murph are hopefully back for next week.
‘It was touch and go for them today. Murph trained on Wednesday, but it was too much of a risk.
‘We didn’t manage to train on the grass yesterday because of the storm and training on astro wasn’t an option for Murph.
‘We went to Moneyfields and did warm-up boxes, set-pieces and shape so Shaughs couldn’t get in a session either.
‘But if we can get a good week into them, they could be back for Burnley.’