The forgettable former Portsmouth loanee who has been heralded as one of the league's best strikers

Former Pompey forward Joe Mason has been labelled one of the best strikers in League One.
Former Pompey striker Joe MasonFormer Pompey striker Joe Mason
Former Pompey striker Joe Mason

But according to MK Dons boss Russell Martin, the frontman needs to remain injury free in order to showcase his quality.

The 29-year-old, who had an uneventful spell at Fratton Park over the first half of the 2018-19 season, is back in the Dons reckoning after suffering a layoff in November which keep him out for a month and a half.

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It proved to be the latest injury setback suffered by the one-time Republic of Ireland under-21 international, with Mason mustering only 29 appearances since moving to MK Don in August 2019.

He’s expected to continue his latest comeback in this weekend’s FA Cup third-round tie against Burnley.

And boss Martin is convinced the striker has the quality to rival the best League One has to offer if he can stay fit.

The Dons boss told the MK Citizen: ‘We really believe in Joe as a player and a top guy and a great professional.

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‘He’s in a really good place and looks so sharp. When you play with him you realise how good he is, his finishing is top draw, but it’s our job to make sure he is on the top of his game.

‘He’s one of the best strikers in the league when he’s fit and we have to get him there.

‘We need to manage his emotions, he’s in a really good place physically and we have to make sure we stay on top of that and keep building him up. When he gets there, not many suit us better with the way we play.

‘I’m frustrated for Joe because he’s such a gifted player and has so much talent. His career shows you that.

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‘Last year was frustrating for him because he got injured on a wet training pitch which was unfortunate.

‘He came back for us and looked really good and was up to speed and then tweaked an injury. It was innocuous, he took a kick, but he looks sharp.’

Mason moved to Pompey on loan from Wolves in August 2018.

Having been signed for £3.5m by Kenny Jackett when he was in charge at Molineux, he was expected to play a fairly prominent part in Pompey’s League One promotion push.

However, things couldn’t have been any different.

The Plymouth-born ace made just four Blues appearances, with only one coming in the third tier, and failed to score for Jackett’s side.

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Mason departed PO4 at the end of his loan deal on January 2, before leaving Wolves by mutual consent later in the month.

Last summer, he put pen to paper at MK Dons and bagged four goals in 16 games in the 2019-20 campaign.

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