Former Aston Villa, Middlesbrough and Cardiff City defender links up with Portsmouth amid left-back crisis
The man who has played at the highest level and had spells with Brighton & Hove Albion, Sheffield Wednesday and Wigan Athletic is training with Pompey.
Former Premier League defender Joe Bennett has linked up with Pompey as they bid to manage their left-back woes.
The former Aston Villa, Middlesbrough and Cardiff defender is currently training with the Blues, as they are left without a recognised fit senior option in the position.
Premier League with Pompey training amid left-back woes
But John Mousinho this afternoon told The News a move for the 35-year-old is not a consideration, as they deal with the loss of Connor Ogilvie.
Bennett was released by Oxford United in the summer, after a two-year stay at the Kassam Stadium with Mousinho’s former club.
The former England under-21 international has since signed a deal with Walton & Hersham, where he has been operating in the Southern League this season with the Surrey side.
With Pompey without Ogilvie and there no timeframe being put on Jacob Farrell’s injury woe coming to a close, the Blues are looking extremely threadbare in the left-back department.
But Mousinho explained a move for Bennett is not on the club’s radar, after the player made 12 Championship appearances last term.
Instead the Rochdale-born man has joined Pompey for training, which will aid the club in being able to do the necessary preparation for Championship fixtures.
Without available left-backs the Blues would be limited in being able to do what’s required when working on the shape of the team.
It’s there where Bennett’s presence at Pompey’s presence has been useful, as he linked up with the group this week.
Mousinho told The News: ‘Joe has come in to train with us this week.
‘He’s come in this week and he’s not available to sign, because he’s registered with another football club.
‘He is not one we’re looking at because we knew we never could sign him.
‘But in terms of the shapework we want to do without any left-backs in the building and Terry ‘Devlin away with Northern Ireland, we would have been left with just Willo (Williams) and Swanny (Swanson).
‘So with the shapework we do, we like to do 11 v 11s and that would’ve been very difficult.
Mousinho on Bennett: ‘Joe’s come in to help’
‘Joe’s come in to help and it’s been great that he’s helped, but it’s with no intention to sign. He can’t sign with us, because he’s registered with another football club.’
Pompey’s only option for signing a left-back at present would be to look to recruit a player who is currently out of contract.
Mousinho has previously spoke of the difficulty of doing in the middle of a season, with a deal then requiring any addition to get themselves up to the intense demands of operating in the Championship.
Ogilvie is expected to be out for up to three months, after picking up a knee injury against Wrexham earlier this month after a challenge by Issa Kabore.
Jordan Williams replaced the dependable operator against the Welsh side and then continued in the position for Pompey’s last outing at Hull City.