Exclusive:‘Baptism of fire’: Portsmouth boss' revealing Madiodio Dia admission over lack of professional experience
The FK Haugesund signing has produced some mixed Pompey form - with his boss offering some context for doing so in the Championship.
John Mousinho has called for patience over Madiodio Dia’s Championship adjustment after being thrown in at the ‘deep end’.
And the Pompey boss admitted part of the need to give the defender time to settle into English football is a relative lack of professional experience.
Mousinho on Dia: ‘He’s actually very new to professional football in general’
The Blues may turn to the £600,000 January capture from Norwegian side FK Haugesund in the south-coast derby at Southampton on October 11, after being hit by new defensive injuries.
Benjy Arthur is facing three months out with back stress fracture, while Conor Shaughnessy is a groin injury concern after limping off in Saturday’s 2-2 draw with Blackburn Rovers.
That puts Dia under the spotlight with his form been variable in his 10 appearances to date at Fratton Park.
There was concern over the 22-year-old’s display against Derby County at the start of the month, but the Senegal man put in a stronger performance at the weekend.
Mousinho highlighted Dia is a newcomer to the pro ranks, after moving to Norway in 2023 - with the 2024-25 campaign offering his first significant run of games at that level.
That is something the Pompey boss feels should be taken into account when assessing the 6ft 4in man’s displays.
Mousinho said: ‘Jojo’s doing pretty well.
‘We chucked him in at the end of January last year, after signing at the end of January.
‘He had to make his debut against Swansea, then it was Middlesbrough away, Norwich away and Stoke away.
‘He had a real baptism of fire and I thought he did very, very well.
‘We obviously threw him in the Derby game and Jojo is still adjusting and very new to the level.
‘He’s actually very new to professional football in general, even though he’s 22, so it will take some time.
‘He’s not been one who came over to Europe early and has been playing in a top European league forever and a day.
‘He actually had pretty much one season before he came over here, so it’s a pretty big period of adjustment for him. I think it’s just a consideration.’
Mousinho has previously spoken about his belief Dia can make the transition into a consistent Championship operator, with the player having the physical qualities to do so.
But the Pompey boss acknowledged a consistent level of performance needs to be found in the player’s game.
He added: ‘I think he has all the attributes to be a top centre-half, I just think we have to knit it all together.
‘It’s not just that, but it helps that he has the physical attributes to really dominate games from a physical perspective.
‘But I also think he’s a very good footballer when he’s on top of his game and his concentration is there for 90 minutes.
‘We have seen that in a Portsmouth shirt, we just need to see it more consistently.’