Portsmouth boss weighs up Luke Le Roux starting role ahead of Southampton showdown
The Bafana Bafana international is away from South Africa, but is pushing hard for a start against Southampton as Pompey squad competition intensifies.
Luke Le Roux is now pushing hard for a Pompey starting role as his Fratton career prepares for lift-off.
And Blues boss John Mousinho acknowledged the tight selection calls around his squad including the South African international, as thoughts begin to turn to the south-coast derby showdown with Southampton.
Pompey new boy ‘definitely a consideration’ as he pushes for start
There’s been a growing clamour from elements of the Fratton Faithful to see more of the Blues new boy, after a forceful cameo against West Brom in the 1-1 draw at The Hawthorns last month.
Andre Dozzell and John Swift were preferred in the 1-0 success over Preston North End at Fratton Park last weekend, with Le Roux introduced in the 64th minute and putting in a shift to see home the three points.
The 25-year-old, by his own admission, has been finding his feet in terms of fitness after signing from Swedish outfit IFK Varnamo towards the end of July.
Le Roux had a period out of the IFK team as the deal as the move went through, and then had to wait for international clearance to come through before he could link up with his new team-mates.
A sturdy Carabao Cup debut against Reading and two decent outings off the bench suggests the powerful operator is now ready to be considered for further inclusion.
Mousinho acknowledged the close proximity for Le Roux and a number of other sub players to starting, in what has now become a stacked Pompey squad after the close of the summer transfer window.
He said: ‘There’s plenty of lads who’ve really impressed and we want to encourage that stiff competition.
‘We were pretty good against West Brom but there’s always tight calls, even when we win games.
‘So when we win and have good performances we still look at the selection off the back of that.
‘Luke was a consideration, he was definitely a consideration against Preston.
‘He impressed against West Brom and looked very solid when coming on last weekend.
‘Everyone in the squad is close to starting depending on the game, like Luke is.’
Two South African internationals for Pompey new boy
Before the south-coast derby against Southampton, Le Roux has to negotiate two World Cup qualifiers for his country.
South Africa take on neighbours Lesotho tomorrow, before hosting Nigeria next Tuesday, with both games taking place in Bloemfontein.
Bafana Bafana lead the way in Group C and are on course to make it to next year’s finals in North America. They top the table on 13 points - five points clear of Rwanda with four qualifiers remaining.
Le Roux has nine South Africa caps to his name, after making his international debut in 2022 with the Pompey man expected to feature in both games under coach Hugo Broos.