Portsmouth boss namechecked alongside Watford and ex-Hull City men as Premier League prediction made
John Mousinho has been named as one of the best up-and-coming English managers, alongside Watford’s Tom Cleverly and Strasbourg boss Liam Rosenior.
That’s the verdict of Second Tier Podcast duo Ryan Dilks and Justin Peach, who have made it clear the Pompey head coach has what it takes to one day manage in the Premier League
There wouldn’t have been many of the Fratton faithful who would’ve predicted the 38-year-old’s start to life in management, after was surprising chosen as Danny Cowley’s successor at Fratton Park by sporting director Rich Hughes and chief executive Andy Cullen.
But it was a vote of confidence from the Blues hierarchy which soon paid off, with Mousinho lifting the League One title in his first full campaign at PO4, as well as guiding the club back to the Championship after a 12-year hiatus.
Pompey’s momentum has largely continued in the second tier this term - despite Mousinho & Co still battling against an automatic return to third-tier football
Following a difficult start to their Championship return, the Fratton Park outfit have climbed off the bottom of the table and currently sit four points clear of the relegation zone with eight matches of the season remaining.
And the impressive turnaround hasn’t gone unnoticed, with Dilks singing the head coach’s praises as the Blues close in on safety.
Speaking on the latest episode of the Second Tier Podcast, he said: ‘I wanted to give a shoutout to John Mousinho at Portsmouth, because he’s only 38 still.
‘He’s very much in that bracket of promising, young managers but what he’s done this season and last season has been brilliant. He’s working with one of the league’s smallest budgets at Pompey so for them to be not far off safety is impressive.
‘He’s done really well in developing players, the man-management side of things as well and getting players playing again who haven’t necessarily done it for quite some time. John Mousinho ticks a lot of boxes for me as well.
‘I think he speaks really well in the media, that's got to be pointed out as well. I wouldn’t be surprised if he was a Premier League manager - hopefully with Pompey - but he’s another who's worthy of a mention.’
Watford boss and ex-Hull City man join Mousinho on impressive list
Dilks and co-host Peach have also listed Watford boss Tom Cleverley and Strasbourg’s Liam Rosenior as promising English managers alongside Mousinho.
The Hornets are placed 10th in the Championship, with 35-year-old Cleverley also becoming the joint-longest serving manager at Vicarage Road in eight years.
Meanwhile, Rosenior is enjoying a successful stay with French side Strasbourg, who sit seventh in Ligue 1. The ex-Brighton coach has taken charge of Derby and Hull in recent years before making the move into Europe.
Peach said: ‘Liam Rosenior is such a talented coach with Strasbourg. He’s taken his chance and gone abroad and I love that for him. He’s got Strasbourg now in six points off second place. They currently sit seventh, a point outside the European places.
‘This is a really good first career outside of the country. He’s a guy who has not been a head coach for long, I think it’s his third full season as a full-time head coach. He’s not been in the game for long but he’s achieving a hell of a lot.’
Meanwhile, Dilks said: ‘I’m going with the youngest manager in the Championship, Tom Cleverley at Watford. I think he is the most promising English manager. First of all, what he’s done at Watford has been phenomenal, many were fearing them to go down this season but instead they’ve been competing for the top six all season.
‘With the role being publicised with the lack of support he’s had from Watford’s hierarchy and how he’s handled things in those circumstances. I’ve been very, very impressed. He’s 35 but he’s already shown a lot to show what it takes to be a top manager.’