‘Waste of time’ – Mousinho shares update on Portsmouth ace amid int’l call-up uncertainty
John Mousinho says the aim for Kusini Yengi is to return after this month’s international break.
The striker has been nursing an injury in recent weeks and is not expected to travel with the Australia national side following his red card in a defeat to Bahrain on the Gold Coast last month.
The Socceroos have games against China and Japan in their World Cup qualifying campaign, but Yengi will miss those as well as Pompey’s matches against Stoke City and Oxford United through injury regardless.
Mousinho told The News [1 October]: “Kas has been back out on the grass for the last few days, so isn’t training with us yet.
“He’s with the strength and conditioning coaches, so it is that stage of the rehab where he’s out of the physio room and working with them. The next stage for him will be to return to full training with us.
“I don’t think he’ll be ready to return to training until probably that second week in October during the international break. Hopefully he’ll be back after that. I’m unsure if he’s going away with Australia or not – he won’t be fit to play the games if he does, so it will be a bit of a waste of time.”
Portsmouth need shift in attack
Although Yengi had not played in the Championship prior to this season, he will be relied upon more than was first anticipated following Colby Bishop’s long-term absence and Mark O’Mahony’s tender years.
Christian Saydee has often spearheaded the attack this season so far, while Elias Sorensen has made fleeting appearances.
Pompey and Mousinho are stocked with wide players and fluid forward-thinkers who can operate both in the channels and a number 10 role, but none of these are bona fide strikers and this is what the Blues need.
It has been seven goals in seven difficult games – eight in all competitions – so far, but the feeling is more can be done going forward and a return as quickly as possible for Yengi would go some way to helping that.
The trip to Stoke is an unpredictable one before the club with whom Mousinho hung up his boots to take the head coach job at Fratton Park – Oxford United – visit PO4 this weekend.
In other Portsmouth news, David Norris discusses how much the team miss Callum Lang.
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