The latest over in-form Portsmouth striker rejoining promotion bid after epic Australia involvement

John Mousinho revealed Kusini Yengi is now a ‘serious contender’ to start for Pompey over the remainder of the season.

And the Australian international has been cleared to feature at Wycombe, after his epic travels and double involvement for the Socceroos.

Yengi yesterday grabbed his maiden senior goal for his country, in their 5-0 World Cup qualifier victory over Lebanon in Canberra.

It’s the second of Graham’s Arnold’s side matches against the Middle Eastern country on home soil after last week’s 2-0 win in Sydney, with the in-form striker also starting as he clocks up well over 21,000 miles of travel in a short period.

Despite that, he will be available for selection at Adams Park on Good Friday, with Mousinho pleased with the progress being made after the 25-year-old’s summer arrival at PO4.

Mousinho said: ‘I’m just delighted for Kusini.

‘If you look at where he was when he came to Portsmouth from an international and domestic point of view, he’d had a stop-start season last year and when he came in here he didn’t start his first league game for quite a while, despite the fact he had a prolific output in the cups, in particular.

‘Since then he’s progressed into a player who’s a serious contender for a starting spot.

‘He was extremely unlucky to not start at Peterborough, after scoring two on the Tuesday night. He then came off the bench and scored the winner there - and is now a real contender for that number nine spot.

‘On the international scene he’d been called up and capped for the Australia 23s squad.

‘But now he’s not just had his first senior call-up, first cap in the Asian Cup, back-to-back games and scored his first international goal.

‘He’s moved himself a huge way forward in terms of his international and domestic career.’