'Unreal' defender hands Portsmouth timely boost ahead of pre-season return

Hayden Matthews has proven he’s ready to kickstart his Pompey career.

The central defender, who was a £1.2m signing from Sydney FC in January, has been out injured since suffering ankle ligament damage in the dying moments of the Blues’ victory against QPR back on February 22.

That serious setback put the brakes on a promising start to life at Fratton Park, with the Australia international making six eye-catching appearances as he was thrown straight into Pompey’s Championship survival battle.

Indeed, he was forced to watch on from the stands for the remaining 12 games of the campaign as his team-mates defied early season odds to secure their second-tier status for another year with two fixtures remaining.

Nearly four months have passed since that untimely blow - but Matthews has demonstrated that he’s recovered from his ankle issue and will be ready to take part in pre-season training which begins on June 23.

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Hayden Matthews’ resilience to bounce back from Pompey injury setback

The evidence comes courtesy of the defender’s instagram account, where he’s posted an intriguing video of himself being put through a series of health and skill-related fitness tests to check his ankle’s strength and stability.

They range from weightlifting sessions to agility and co-ordination drills on the pitch, with the 20-year-old showing no ill-effects of the injury that put a dramatic halt to his Pompey career.

Putting Matthews through his paces is AC Performance Consulting - an independent strength and conditioning and personal training organisation the defender has utilised in his native Australia to ensure he returns to Pompey next week fit and healthy, and raring to go again.

Posting on Instagram, AC Performance Consulting wrote: ‘Unreal few weeks in-person with @haydenmatt_ down under as he preps for 25/26.

‘After a huge 12 months, his resilience & genuine interest to improve his performance remains as strong as ever.

‘Pleasure as always with Hayden, here’s a snapshot of what we got up to. Building for the future.’

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Hayden Matthews return is welcome boost for Pompey

Those words and images of Matthews preparing himself for his maiden pre-season in English football will no doubt please head coach John Mousinho, who will be hoping all his players report back fit and well following their well-deserved summer breaks.

Prior to the season ending on May, Matthews was joined by Ibane Bowat, Jacob Farrell, Paddy Lane and Jordan Williams in the Blues treatment room.

All four, though, are expected to be available for a return to training and to play a part in the Blues’ pre-season preparations which includes a warm weather training camp in Slovakia at the beginning of July.

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