Andew Moon hails 'intelligent' and 'engaging' Kusini Yengi after Portsmouth man's summer

Andrew Moon has described Kusini Yengi as one of the most "intelligent" and "engaging" characters in the Portsmouth squad.

Moon, talking to Jordan Clark live on BBC Radio Solent on Tuesday evening [9 July], was discussing his catch-up with the Pompey squad and management at their warm-weather training base in Croatia, where they are being put through their paces in pre-season.

Yengi has enjoyed a well-travelled summer, starring for Australia in both Asia and Oceania, visiting his father in Africa and other family in Europe. And of course, there was the title-winning squad's trip to Las Vegas.

Moon said: "Kusini Yengi is just a really intelligent, engaging character. He was chatting to me about his summer, literally going all around the world.

"His dad lives in Uganda; his girlfriend's family live in Germany; he went to watch his brother play up in Scotland - a serious globetrotting summer for him.

"And also for him, when you're playing internationals at the start of June, how do you rest and recover? That was so interesting."

Yengi will be given huge Portsmouth opportunity

Anyone at Portsmouth will tell you what a positive and encouraging individual Yengi is.

Coming from a hard-working family with roots in both Uganda and Australia, the 25-year-old has uprooted now to the South Coast of England and really found his feet in a successful team where many have faltered at this level.

The striker is netting regularly now for the Socceroos and has a huge fan in his head coach, John Mousinho - who will, make no mistake, reward him with Championship opportunities.

Whether he features often in the starting XI remains to be seen - Mousinho has tended to prefer a 4-2-3-1 system which favours Colby Bishop spearheading the attack, though Yengi may play in a wide berth in the preceding bank of three as he sometimes did last season in League One.

Pompey will continue to recruit as they build a squad capable in the second tier, but with the trajectory and fearlessness at which Yengi is improving and taking English football in his stride, he won't be getting left behind.

In other Portsmouth news, three more Pompey Women players have signed their first professional deals.

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