'Best thing for him': The Portsmouth prospect John Mousinho won't allow to leave on loan
The June 2024 signing has yet to play a first-team match for the Blues
Time on Pompey’s training ground can benefit Reuben Swann’s development more than playing non-league matches.
That’s the verdict of John Mousinho, who has ruled out sending the 19-year-old for another loan spell at present.
A persistent hip flexor injury devastated the former AFC Sudbury youngster’s pre-season, restricting him to just 45 minutes of their friendly schedule.
Encouragingly, Swann returned to action at the start of this month and has subsequently been a regular on the training pitch for the first time since the beginning of July.
However, unlike fellow prospects Toby Steward and Harry Clout, the Blues have decided against attempting to arrange a loan spell for the powerful midfielder for the time being.
Instead, Mousinho is convinced Swann can reap more rewards by remaining in-house under his guidance and training regularly with Pompey’s first-team.
‘The best possible thing for him’
The Blues head coach told The News: ‘Reuben is training with us and he is fit, but we are not looking at a loan right now. What we want with Reuben is a really solid period of training with us.
‘We could loan him out and then he’s probably stop-start playing for a side which maybe isn’t full-time, maybe it’s a hybrid part-time in terms of the training, so we want him here.
‘Fitness for Reuben is a big thing, we need to make sure he stays away from the small niggly injuries - and I think training with the first-team every day is the best possible thing for him at the moment.
‘At the minute we are not considering any loans, we’ll see how it goes in the next few weeks. We think training is going to be the best thing for him.
‘Training in a professional environment every single day is the best possible thing for Reuben and, when we think games are the right thing to do, we’ll then loan him out.’
Swann arrived from AFC Sudbury in June 2024 following seven appearances and two goals in the Southern League Southern Central and was viewed as a long-term project.
As a consequence, he spent last season on loan with the Hawks under the tutelage of the well-respected Shaun North, featuring 43 times, scoring seven goals and posting six assists.
However, that Westleigh Park appearance tally consisted of just nine starts, proving something of an irritation for the player and, at times, supporters, having been impressed with his outings.
Set-back during Slovakia training camp
By all accounts, Swann returned for pre-season in fine shape after undergoing a summer fitness programme while back home in Ipswich, only to suffer an injury set-back midway through the training camp at the X-Bionic Sphere, Samorin, in Slovakia.
Of Pompey’s seven-game friendly schedule, his sole involvement was the first half in a goalless draw at the Hawks in July.
Now back fit, Mousinho feels it’s important for Swann to develop on the training pitch at present, rather than sent out on another loan.
He added: ‘He’s had a hip flexor injury, but has now been back more than a fortnight. He pretty much trained every day during the international window.
‘The most important thing for Reuben is where we see him. We take each case as it comes - and we definitely see him improving every day.’