'We've searched far and wide': Rich Hughes addresses Portsmouth struggle to replace Marlon Pack
The 35-year-old has totaled 160 appearances and 10 goals over his two Fratton Park spells
Rich Hughes has lifted the lid on the recruitment struggles to replace Marlon Pack.
And he admits Pompey’s ongoing problem in finding a successor to the 35-year-old reflects the Blues skipper’s continuing importance to their Championship ambition.
After recovering from summer knee surgery, Pack had started the last six games for John Mousinho’s side heading into the international break.
Certainly the Buckland boy can be expected to line-up against Southampton on October 11 for the resumption of the league campaign.
‘It’s very difficult, we have searched far and wide’
Since Hughes’ appointment as sporting director in September 2022 - three months after Pack’s return for a second Fratton Park spell - the Blues have failed to identify a worthy alternative to the veteran.
Luke Le Roux has been the latest to fall by the wayside in the battle for the number six spot, while Iyad Mohamed was recruited in late August as the latest pretender.
And Hughes concedes it remains a tough task finding a replacement for a player who turns 36 in March.
He told The News: ‘There are two levels to Marlon Pack - the player and the leader. That’s what creates the complications.
‘Marlon gives so much to the football club as a whole, in terms of the way he acts as a conduit between the players, John and myself and is a really good sounding board for everything. So that’s one significant side of it.
‘Some of the performances he has shown this year has demonstrated he can still compete at the level and that then provides some of the challenges. He’s as fit as he ever has been, he doesn't miss training, he doesn’t come away from any game with injuries, so it makes taking that shirt off him really difficult.
‘In terms of wanting to replace that position and provide a significant level of competition for Marlon, it’s something we have been quite vocal about.
‘Iyad (Mohamed) came in late in the window and has not had that starting period yet, so it’s been good to see him get game time with Comoros, a bit of momentum and match fitness.
‘It’s up to those other boys in the midfield area to go and take that shirt off Marlon. Yet Marlon makes it very difficult to get the shirt away from him by the way he handles himself, his fitness levels and his performances on the pitch.
‘It’s very difficult, we have searched far and wide (for a replacement), we have spoken to a lot of players. It’s a role which requires a very specific skill set and is something John really wants.’
First-choice in Portsmouth’s number six role
With 160 appearances and 10 goals, Pack remains Mousinho’s first choice in the number six role during the Blues’ third consecutive season at Championship level.
Mohamed, 10 years his junior, has so far totalled 22 minutes in a Pompey shirt since arriving from Portugal’s top flight, where he featured regularly for Casa Pia in 2025-26.
The Comoros international represents the leading alternative in the number six role at present - but Hughes insists Pack’s performances are making him extremely difficult to dislodge.
He added: ‘You have seen the way in which we play, why the number six is so integral. We want physicality, we want technicality, we want bits of leadership.
‘It is challenging to replace Marlon, but that’s because, over my time at the football club, Marlon has set that bar very high.
‘He reacts the right way every time and he’s been quite vocal in saying he welcomes the competition, which is testament to Marlon as a person and a leader.’
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