'He exudes that quality': Confident Portsmouth chief backs summer signing to be Championship hit
The international midfielder has totalled 22 minutes for the Blues since his summer arrival
Iyad Mohamed possesses the essential qualities to become Marlon Pack’s successor, according to Rich Hughes.
Although Pompey’s sporting director is adamant the Comoros international must be given time to adjust to the tough demands of the Championship.
The 25-year-old arrived from Portuguese top-flight side Casa Pia towards the end of the transfer window to provide much-needed competition for the number six role.
Blues skipper Pack, who turns 36 this season, remains first choice and continues to see off challengers for a pivotal position in John Mousinho’s team.
So far Mohamed has totalled 22 minutes from his three Pompey appearances off the bench as he battles for first-team selection.
But Hughes is convinced the midfielder has the talent to make a favourable Fratton Park impact - once he has settled.
‘It’s up to him to provide that competition to Marlon’
He told The News: ‘Absolutely we see Iyad as a number six, that’s where we think he’s at his best, it’s what we liked in his game, we saw a lot of good traits.
‘Now it’s that adaptation period to the Championship, the physicality, the repetition, the games. We’ve seen lots of good bits in training and have started to see some glimpses in games - and it’s up to him to provide that competition to Marlon.
‘He exudes that quality, he’s got a good level of physicality, he’s got a nice range of passing, he can play through or beyond, he gives us more balance being a natural leftie, there are loads of good bits in terms of his game.
‘But coming from Comoros is very different to playing in the Championship and he needs that time adapting.
‘Iyad is still a relatively young man, he’s learning another language, his English is very good but he’s adapting to that, while he has moved his family over. So there are a lot of bits there to be taken in.’
Africa Cup of Nations qualification duty with Comoros
Mohamed has spent the international break on duty with Comoros, a country situated off Africa’s east coast.
He started against Cameroon and Namibia in Group C fixtures during qualification for the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations qualification.
Cameroon ended in a 3-1 defeat for Comoros, while Mohamed completed the full 90 minutes as he helped his country to a 1-0 victory over Namibia.
On Sunday, the Coelacanths faced Senegal in an international friendly and came away with a very credible 1-0 defeat, with the Pompey man again starting.
Now he’s returned to Fratton Park ahead of Sunday’s south-coast derby, seeking to build on brief Blues cameos off the bench against Derby, Cardiff and Blackburn.
Hughes added: ‘We like Iyad as a player, he fits a lot of the characteristics of what we want in that (number six) role.
‘Hopefully he can provide that real stiff level of competition for the group.’