Kenny Jackett: Crazy phone calls won’t distract Ronan Curtis from Portsmouth mission

And Pompey’s boss is convinced the Irishman is ready to spark again and drive Pompey into their play-off task.

Curtis has consulted the club and police after receiving abusive calls and texts over a two-week period.

As a consequence, he has been forced to change his mobile number.

In the meantime, the energetic winger is striving to recapture his outstanding early-season form.

Pompey head to Sunderland on Saturday for the play-off semi-final first leg – and Jackett believes Curtis will not be affected by recent off-the-field issues.

He said: ‘Hopefully Ronan has got it sorted out now, he is not the sort of person that would dwell on those sort of things, it won’t knock him.

‘Hopefully he has sorted that problem out.

‘He’s not one to dwell on it or let it worry him, these things happen and you just have to deal with it and move on.

‘He got some crazy phone calls, but you can’t worry about that.

‘It’s something he and his family will deal with and then go on.’

Curtis made an encouraging impact after appearing as a half-time substitute against Accrington last weekend.

It represented a fourth appearance off the bench in the past eight matches – but Jackett is weighing up handing him a Stadium of Light start.

He added: ‘He is ready. I don’t think Ronan has necessarily played that badly.

‘At Wembley, Gareth came on and lifted it. It just worked that way really, it wasn’t necessarily about Ronan doing poorly.

‘It was Gareth coming on – and in that position on that particular day did great.

‘Sometimes it’s just how it works, there have been other times in games where perhaps Ronan has been quiet and I have left him on – then he gets a goal late on and is lifted again.

‘For him to dip in and out of the side sometimes, or to come off the bench, won’t do him any harm. Particularly in those forward positions, where they are very explosive and the running stats are high.

‘Ronan is a good player, a very committed player, I have a lot of time for him.’