John Mousinho rules out shock injury return for forgotten Portsmouth talent despite surprise appearance
Franco Umeh has featured twice for Pompey following his £500,000 move from Crystal Palace in the summer transfer window.
John Mousinho has chalked off suggestion of a shock return for Franco Umeh in Pompey’s final two matches.
The winger was spotted being put through his paces on the Fratton Park pitch following Saturday’s 1-0 triumph over relegation rivals Leicester City.
It’s been a frustrating maiden campaign on the south coast for the Irishman, who completed a £500,000 move from Crystal Palace on deadline day in September.
The young talent came off the bench in the closing stages of December’s 2-1 triumph over Charlton Athletic and played a key role in the build-up to Minhyeok Yang’s stoppage-time winner.
Although the Republic of Ireland youth international was an unused substitute against Bristol City on New Year’s Day, the 21-year-old was called upon in January’s FA Cup defeat to Arsenal - replacing the injured Harvey Blair.
Pompeu boss rules out end-of-season return for £500,000 arrival
Umeh impressed off the bench against the Gunners, but lasted just 44 minutes as he suffered a fresh hamstring blow in the closing stages of the third-round tie.
And despite Umeh taking part in drills over the weekend, the head coach has made it clear the winger is still ‘nowhere near’ as they pencil pre-season as his return.
The Pompey boss told The News: ‘Yeah absolutely nowhere near. He’d have been doing pitch work but still a couple of months away.’
Mousinho welcomed Josh Murphy and Florian Bianchini back to his forward arsenal last week following long-term foot and knee issues respectively.
The duo joined fellow wingers Harvey Blair and Millenic Alli in the Blues’ ranks, while Adrian Segecic has been slotting in on the right.
Meanwhile, January arrivals Keshi Anderson and Gustavo Caballero remain sidelined due to hamstring and groin set-backs respectively.
What has John Mousinho said about Franco Umeh?
Umeh arrived at Fratton Park with his stock on the rise after a brilliant campaign with Crystal Palace’s U21s - a team Mousinho kept a close eye on last term, having also been touted with midfielder Hindolo Mustapha in the summer.
Although the Irishman failed to register a first-team outing for the Eagles, he was named on the bench on several occasions as he made the transition to senior football.
Speaking to The News in September 2025, the head coach said. ‘Franco’s ready for the first team.
‘Everyone seems to spot me down Gander Green Lane for some reason, but it’s quite a good one to get to and Palace have a very strong under-21 side! Last year we watched some really good talent on multiple occasions.
‘The first time I went to see Franco it was at West Ham’s training ground, we’ve watched him a few times since then.
‘He definitely fits the profile of the type of player we wanted to bring into those attacking positions. He’s had a very promising career with Palace’s under-21s and been on the fringes of the first team a number of times.
‘He’s not quite managed to break into the first team because we can see how competitive Palace have been at the top end of the Premier League, winning the FA Cup and being in Europe.
‘It’s a really good opportunity for Franco to come and play here - and we’re really excited to have him and a player of his level.’