What Portsmouth boss said about Reeco Hackett-Fairchild amid Hull and Colchester links

Online reports suggest the forward is wanted by League One rivals Hull City and Colchester United among others.

Hackett-Fairchild has endured a frustrating time at Fratton Park since his arrival from Bromley for an undisclosed fee in January.

He's made just one appearance, against Walsall in the Leasing.com Trophy last campaign, and was left out of the Blues' squad for Tuesday night's win over Colchester.

By his own admission, the former Charlton man has found being on the Fratton fringes mentally tough at times. He's behind Ronan Curtis, Marcus Harness and Ryan Williams in the pecking order.

But speaking to The News on Thursday afternoon, Jackett stressed he's going to need every senior player throughout the course of a fixture-congested League One promotion push.

And while Hackett-Fairchild's currently out of the favour, things can quickly change.

Pompey boss Jackett said: ‘Reeco is behind some good wingers in our group, some very good wingers.

‘For him, he has to keep working away. While we have a fully-fit squad, he has to be ready and wait for his opportunity.

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‘He is a good player, though, and I do rate him. As and when we do need him along the way in those front-three positions then he'll be ready and will do well.

‘It is quite hard to call. If you suddenly get two injuries on Saturday and then two against Brighton next week, the whole picture changes.

‘While everybody is available at the moment, we have a long and congested season to get through.

‘There might be some frustration at the moment but my message is that we need everybody, we really do.

‘We need to have a good spirit about us and, at the right time, we’ll need all of them.

‘They have to make sure they're fit, ready and determined when called upon.’

Hackett-Fairchild scored eight goals in 23 appearances for Bromley in the National League, which earned him his move to Pompey.

The 22-year-old has yet to be included in a solitary League One squad at PO4, though.

Nevertheless, Jackett is adamant the former Brighton youngster is capable of making an impact in the Blues' charge for the Championship.

The boss added: ‘Reeco could definitely (cope with the demands of League One).

‘At the moment, our two wingers Curtis and Harness have looked good in training and in the early games.

‘We have Ryan Williams as well. There are some people in front of Reeco but things change over the course of the season. Out of the 20 lads we have at the moment, we're going to need every single one.’

A message from the Editor, Mark Waldron

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