‘Performing at a different level’: The perplexing snub for outstanding Portsmouth star continues
The former Manchester United man’s Pompey form has been consistently excellent this term - but it’s not been enough to gain international recognition from Wales boss Craig Bellamy.
John Mousinho expressed his surprise Regan Poole’s outstanding Pompey hasn’t yielded an international return.
But the Blues boss believes the Fratton favourite’s latest Wales snub is a potential benefit to his club side, as he remains at PO4 across the pause to Championship action.
Mousinho’s surprise at Poole Wales snub
The defender’s consistently excellent displays has signalled a return to his best form, after his start to life at Pompey was curtailed by a serious knee injury.
Yet that’s not been enough to earn a return to the international fray, as the 27-year-old was overlooked by Craig Bellamy for his squad’s latest World Cup qualifiers against Liechtenstein and North Macedonia.
It’s been almost exactly two years since Poole picked up his single Wales cap to date, in a 4-0 international friendly win over Gibraltar.
Given his step up in level, with Bellamy turning to emerging League One options in his position in the likes of Cardiff’s Dylan Lawlor, Mousinho expressed surprise at Poole not getting a call.
He said: ‘We get to work with Regan every day, we get to see how good his performances have been this year.
‘So naturally when you look at those performances in isolation I would’ve thought, having picked up his first cap in League One, I would’ve thought Regan performing as well as he has done at a different level would’ve got him selected.
‘But I also don’t know what else is in the Wales squad and I’m sure Craig Bellamy has plenty of options, so I wouldn’t like to second guess an international manager.
‘We’re also grateful we’ve got Regan in the building for another couple of weeks.’
Mousinho on Poole: ‘We want characters like that at club.’
A poll among Pompey fans would likely see Poole recognised as his team’s standout performer so far this season, with just shy of a third of the campaign completed.
While the former Manchester United man isn’t get his flowers at international level, Mousinho couldn’t be happier with the 2023 arrival and his performance levels for his club.
He added: ‘I don’t want to tempt fate, but he’s one of the only players who’s played every minute of every game. That tells you what we think of him.
‘That’s what we’re after this year, getting him to those levels consistently. He keeps to that level as a baseline and keeps rising and rising.
‘Regan’s a leader and has worn the captain’s armband here, but whether he has the captain’s armband or not we know what to expect from him on the football pitch.
‘The biggest thing Regan does is lead by example, he throws his body in front of everything. He will launch himself at everything - and we want characters like that at the football club.’