Why Portsmouth still have no plans to loan out Leon Maloney

The 18-year-old is being kept at Fratton Park to ensure the Blues are as strong as possible as they head into a ‘big period.’

Maloney penned third-year scholarship terms last summer after impressing for Mark Kelly’s academy side.

He’s made three appearances in the EFL Trophy this season, while he's been an unused substitute in three League One games.

The Isle of Wight ace is currently regarded as Kenny Jackett’s fourth-choice winger behind senior pros Ronan Curtis, Ryan Williams and Marcus Harness. 

That means there’s nothing currently in the offing for Maloney to gain regular first-team minutes away from Fratton Park.

Fellow youngsters Bradley Lethbridge, Josh Flint and Joe Dandy are all at Bognor.

But Maloney is seen as a part of Jackett’s first-team plans. 

The Pompey boss said: ‘At the minute, the plan is for him to stick around.

‘We need to be strong inside the club and see where these cup competitions take us.

‘We'll keep an eye on the EFL Trophy and frustratingly one or two reserve games have been called off.

‘At the moment we are keeping him in-house. If games are called off because of the weather, there's not a lot we can do.

‘Leon has had good games for us. If you're looking at the EFL Trophy earlier this season, he's had some good games and shown some promise for us. He has to continue in that vein. 

‘We'll see what happens. Right now, there are no plans but we will see.

‘There is a big period coming up for us and we want to be as strong as possible.’