Portsmouth's options explored as Kenny Jackett looks to fill massive void left by Ronan Curtis and Michael Jacobs for Plymouth trip

The Blues have always had direct replacements to call upon to fill the voids left vacant.

Rasmus Nicolaisen, Cam Pring, Ronan Curtis, Ben Close have all stepped up to the breach to ensure a smooth transition.

But what does Jackett do when one of his so-called replacements also becomes unavailable?

Curtis will in all likelihood not appreciate being referred to as a ‘replacement’ on this occasion, given his Pompey input over the past couple of seasons.

But in the games leading up to the knee injury sustained by Jacobs in the victory at Sunderland, the Irishman found himself behind the former Wigan winger in the pecking order.

SEE ALSO: Why Pompey injuries have been piling up - but Joe Gallen hopeful it's under control

He’s since taken his opportunity with both hands, scoring three goals in the three games since that win at the Stadium of Light.

But with Curtis now on international duty with the Republic of Ireland going into Monday night’s trip to Plymouth, and Jacobs still out, there’s a gaping hole out of the left wing to be filled and no obvious replacement standing out.

Here, we take a look at the options Jackett has available to him – and determine who is best placed to come to the Blues’ emergency…

Jordy Hiwula

It’s not a role the former Coventry front man was signed for.

When he surprisingly joined the Blues last month after the transfer window had closed, it was to add to Pompey’s striking options following an injury to Ellis Harrison.

But needs must, and with Hiwula having experience of playing wide left during his Sky Blues days, he looks an obvious candidate

It didn’t quite work out for the 26-year-old at Coventry when asked to play the role, though.

Preferring to play through the middle, he often had to cut in onto his right foot, which frustrated not just him but manager Mark Robins, too.

If asked to fill in, it will more than likely be a one-off for Hiwula – so there’s no need to panic.

Meanwhile, with the freebie having made just two appearances since his October 22 arrival, you’d expect him to want to seize the opportunity with both hands.

He is on a short-term contract until January after all.

The only other concern is his lack of fitness and match practice.

Ninety-six minutes of first-team football since December 2019 isn’t much – although he did last the distance against West Ham’s under-21s in midweek.

Marcus Harness

Jackett will loathe to tinker with his attacking options too much, particularly given how potent his forwards have been in recent games.

They’ve really started to gel as a unit and pose a serious threat after a lacklustre start to the season – and key to that has been Harness.

Along with John Marquis, he’s been in devastating form.

So any role swap or alteration to his current game, no matter how small a switch in position might sound, could take his influence out of the equation.

Like Hiwula, though, Harness has form when it comes to playing wide left.

He featured there for the Blues on three occasions last season – against AFC Wimbledon, Lincoln and Arsenal.

As a quality player, the switch failed to faze him, as he recorded News match ratings of seven, six, seven respectively.

But you wonder what else Pompey could have done in those game if he’d been played in his favourite position?

Cameron Pring

This one might raise a few eyebrows but the on-loan Bristol City left-back is a former winger who has been remodelled into an attack-minded full-back.

‘Cam is particularly quality going forward and looks like the winger he used to be,’ said the Express & Star’s Walsall reporter Liam Keen when The News spoke to him following the 22-year-old arrived at PO4 back in August.

Keen added: ‘He has that build of a winger, that close control, puts in good crosses and can get to the byline to deliver them.

‘When he played for Walsall he did very well.’

With that in mind, Pring is certainly a possibility to feature against Plymouth in a more advanced role.

But are you creating a problem elsewhere to solve the left-wing issue?

With Lee Brown still out with a hamstring injury, who fills in at left-back if Pring moves forward?

Do you hand a first league start to youngster Harvey Rew, who impressed against West Ham in midweek? Or do you ask someone with more experience, like James Bolton, to come in and do a makeshift job?

Alternatively, do you go for a 3-5-2 formation and left Pring play as a wing-back?

As you can see, there’s more questions than answers to this one!

Ryan Williams

The Aussie has been finding his groove in recent weeks and been instrumental in the Blues’ recent impressive form.

He’s shown an ability to adapt his game, too, with Jackett using the right-winger up top alongside Marquis in the past few games.

But is moving him to the opposite flank a step too far?

He played their last season when Pompey beat Scunthorpe in the latter stages of the Leasing.com Trophy.

Williams chased and harried as usual, but he’s got something special developing with Harness in his current role.

His influence could be hampered if he’s played out of position.

Eoin Teggart

The Northern Ireland youngster has made only two senior appearances for Pompey – both in EFL Trophy games against the under-21 sides of Norwich and West Ham.

The latter came in midweek when Jackett went with a youthful side for the match against the Hammers.

And Teggart didn’t disappoint as he offered some quality moments down the left.

The step up to feature in the league against Plymouth might prove too much, with more senior pros still available to feature on the left if needs be.

But if Tuesday night was an audition with Monday night in mind, the 18-year-old did enough to earn a recall.

Maybe a place on the Home Park bench could be his if Jackett opts for experience over youth.

A message from the Editor, Mark Waldron

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