The former Portsmouth loanee out to shoot down old side on maiden Fratton return after Premier League rise

Following his release from Middlesbrough, Nathaniel Mendez-Laing recently signed for Sheffield Wednesday and appeared for the first time for the Owls on Saturday.

And his return to Fratton Park next Tuesday will be his first appearance on the south coast since his spell at the club came to an end.

But the forward has faced his former employers twice before, with contrasting results.

Firstly for Cambridge United, he was on the wrong side of a 6-2 humiliation from the Blues despite scoring at the Abbey Stadium -- but made amends in the 2017 EFL Cup tie for Cardiff, as he scored in a 2-1 victory for the Bluebirds.

The 29-year-old made his bow for his new side in their 2-2 draw with Wycombe three days ago. Mendez-Laing came from the bench with 18 minutes to go, but he couldn’t turn the tide in the favour of Darren Moore’s side as they settled for a point.

The former Peterborough forward is well versed in League One football, after appearing in the division for the Posh, Sheffield United, Shrewsbury and Pompey.

For the latter, he featured eight times in the third tier but never tasted victory while wearing royal blue. Mainly operating on the left wing, he faced three draws and five losses while a member of Guy Whittingham’s side.

Since then, he’s reached the heights of the Premier League while facing some heavy lows during his time at the Bluebirds. After featuring prominently for the south Wales club, his time ended on a sour note after being sacked for taking cocaine.

But he was given a second chance in English football by his former boss Neil Warnock at Middlesbrough in 2021 after a short-time away from the game and played sporadically for Boro.

He scored and assisted one goal for Warnock’s side, but was released at the end of the campaign after being omitted from the club’s last six matchday squads.

Another new start was perhaps what he needed to kickstart his career with Wednesday, hoping he can lead their charge towards the Championship.

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