The ‘unlucky’ Portsmouth arrival suffering on the sidelines as former Birmingham City and Stockport County man waits for chance
He was Pompey’s first summer capture, but the Fratton faithful are still waiting for a meaningful sight of the new arrival.
John Mousinho admitted Odin Bailey can feel hard done by as he waits to kickstart his Pompey career.
The Blues boss acknowledged the summer arrival has been ‘unlucky’ not to feature more this season, since joining from Stockport County.
Mousinho on Bailey: ‘I think Odin has been unlucky’
Mousinho stated the attacking midfielder’s efforts in training and cameos in games have warranted greater minutes than the 26-year-old has seen so far.
Pompey’s first summer capture has yet to start a game this season, with Bailey limited to just 12 minutes of Championship action so far against QPR and Derby County.
The former Birmingham City man got 30 minutes as a makeshift left-back at West Ham United in the Carabao Cup on the opening day, but has been left on the bench for the past two outings against Cardiff City and Charlton Athletic.
The Pompey boss said: ‘I think Odin has been unlucky, I think he’s been unlucky not to play more.
‘His performances in training and when he’s been coming on have been pretty good.
‘We’re just trying to find the right kind of balance at the minute, that’s not always an easy thing to do - so I think Odin can’t count himself unlucky.
‘It’s testament to Odin that he’s played at left-back, got his head down and done that.
‘He’s played in the middle of the park, which is his more natural position, and got on with that as well.
‘In terms of what I’ve seen and his performances in training I just think that he probably has deserved to play a bit more.
‘But it’s not always about who deserves to play, it’s about putting out a side I think is going to win each game.
‘I will take everything into balance when I’m picking the side and Odin has maybe just fallen on the wrong side of a couple of those decisions.’
Mousinho made it clear Bailey’s lack of playing so far is not a reflection of his efforts, as he called for the versatile operator to show patience and continue on his current path.
That has made it a far from straightforward call for him not to feature, as the Pompey boss aims to find a winning formula on the pitch at the season’s outset.
Mousinho added: ‘He’s been great around the place. He makes it difficult, really difficult, by his conduct and puts pressure on selection, so fair play to him.’