'Being patient': Why Portsmouth boss isn't concerned over promising loan winger's lack of minutes
The winger has made one first-team outing for Pompey, but is now on loan in National South
With Pompey’s wing options decimated by injury and form concerns, there is an alternative currently out of sight, although not out of mind.
Harry Clout is presently on loan at Farnborough until January, representing a cherished first-team opportunity to maintain his encouraging development.
However, it has been a slow start to life in the National League for the 19-year-old left-sided winger, who has still to make a start for Spencer Day’s men.
His six outings have all arrived off the bench - and all after the 69th minute - as 20th-placed Boro ease the Pompey Academy graduate into their first-team environment.
On the flipside, Clout has been an ever-present in their eight league squads since he arrived, plus the FA Cup second round qualifier against Dover, representing great experience.
And irrespective of potential frustrations over lack of starting opportunities, John Mousinho is relaxed over how the youngster’s loan spell is faring.
Portsmouth boss: ‘It’s a long old season, there’s no rush there’
He told The News: ‘Harry is doing okay. He hasn’t started games for Farnborough as of yet, so we are monitoring that, we are keeping an eye on what he does.
‘The loan is for game time. He had a decent pre-season with us, it’s about getting him games and exposure at a good level and National South for us is a really good level. Their manager wanted him off the back of seeing him pre-season.
‘I’m not concerned, It’s a long old season, there’s no rush there, it’s about being patient.
‘Some of the loans we’ve got here, we are really confident about where they are going forward, but some of them are taking a minute to adjust to the system. I am sure the same is there for Harry and Farnborough.
‘It’s hybrid training for him at the minute, so he trains sometimes with them and other occasions with us, but he has definitely improved and to have that interest from that level is really positive.’
Having joined the Blues on their pre-season training camp at the X-Bionic Sphere, Samorin, Slovakia, Clout went on to feature five times during their summer friendly programme.
That included the July trip to Farnborough, where he netted Pompey’s second goal to catch the attention of the non-leaguers’ boss Day.
With the former Crystal Palace youngster among the 11 players introduced at half-time, the Blues ran out 5-0 winners in front of a 2,897 crowd.
Clout, who made his Pompey first-team debut against Wycombe in the FA Cup last season, subsequently joined Farnborough on loan in August for the first half of the season.
He has since totalled 465 minutes from six first-team outings for the National South side, who have collected two wins so far this season, while remaining on the bench in three other fixtures.
His most recent involvement was coming off the bench in the 77th minute in last Saturday's 1-0 defeat at Hemel Hempstead Town.
Portsmouth’s winger absentees
In the meantime, Pompey have fellow attacking players Josh Murphy, Callum Lang and Franco Umeh sidelined by injury at present, although Yang Minhyeok and Harvey Blair are back in training.
While Clout will be preparing for a visit to Southern League Division One South club Westbury United in the next round of the FA Cup with Farnborough.
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