What they’ve been waiting for: the massive boost to Portsmouth survival hopes against QPR

And the Blues boss challenged Kusini Yengi to make up for lost time by affecting the first-team picture, as they head towards the run-in this term.

Mousinho can finally call on full array of options in the number nine department against QPR, as Kusini Yengi returns from a three-month lay-off this weekend.

With Colby Bishop the front-line option, it means Yengi will join Oxford goalscorer Mark O’Mahony and Christian Saydee as the selection considerations at Fratton Park. That’s a scenario Mousinho has experienced on just one other occasion this season, as Pompey picked up their first home win of the season against Preston last November.

It’s news which provides a much-needed fillip in the face of the disappointing blow of losing Callum Lang for the rest of the campaign this week.

Mousinho faces an intriguing call over who to go with against Marti Cifuentes’ side, but now wants to see Yengi reach for the form he was beginning to show before his knee set-back on international duty with Australia last November.

He said: ‘Kas in full training and available for the weekend.

‘He needs to push to start as many games as possible. I think we’ve got 13 games left and Kas needs to try to start all 13 of them, that’s my take on what his ambitions should be. I’d say the same thing to Colby, Tom, Christian and Mark - it’s good to have that competition. I think you can strip that back because they can’t all do it, but they need to affect things as much as they can.

‘In fairness to Kas, before he went out injured he started three games, he was part of that big home win over Preston and he was starting to look effective.

‘He’s struggled with injuries. He was set to start at Leeds but had a groin issue and when we got him back for Hull it was one of our best performances of that part of the season, the same against Plymouth and the same against Preston.

‘Strong department’

‘I thought he grew into that really well and by the time he came off against Preston he was going into the international break in really good form. Unfortunately he got injured for Australia and we haven’t seen him since.’

‘Our thought process going into the season was Kusini, Colby and Christian were three forwards vying for that position. We weren’t recruiting to recruit in that area, but we had Colby’s heart surgery and issues with Kas’s groin - so we decided to recruit.

‘Now we have that strong department and we’re certainly looking forward to seeing more of Kas.’

READ MORE: ‘The likes of QPR, Oxford and Plymouth’: Pompey boss heeds survival warning from Championship rivals.