‘Devastating’: Kusini Yengi speaks out for the first time after shock Portsmouth departure
Kusini Yengi scored 13 goals in two seasons for Pompey before being released in May.
Kusini Yengi believes injuries devastated his Pompey career.
And the Socceroos star has revealed the inside track into the reasons behind his three-month lay-off due to a knee issue.
Although John Mousinho’s men had the option of triggering a 12-month extension on his terms, Pompey opted against extending his deal.
It brings an emotional end to his two-year stay at Fratton Park, which saw him play a instrumental role in lifting the League One title in his maiden campaign in England.
Although the Aussie international’s stock was on the rise after an outstanding term, which saw a return of 13 goals in 31 appearances, there was plenty of expectation for him to succeed in the Championship.
However, injuries would hamper the 2023 signing and he failed to score in any of his 14 league outings.
Those set-backs is something Yengi believes was his downfall at Fratton Park as his time on the south coast came to a close.
And speaking for the first time since his Pompey exit, the striker revealed how injury issues frustrated him during his final campaign at PO4.
He told Fox Sports Australia: ‘They were banking on me coming back and being fit and ready to kick on and help us with our survival in the Championship this year and every time I went away to national team camp; I came back injured.
‘I can only imagine how frustrating that was for the fans and for the club and for myself.
‘It was devastating. It’s not like I wanted to go away and come back injured.’
Kusini Yengi’s three-month Pompey injury absence explained
After sustaining a groin injury while on duty for the Socceroos in September, Yengi’s biggest set-back was a knee issue picked up against Bahrain in a World Cup qualifier in November.
This forced the former Western Sydney Wanderers ace to be absent for nearly three months of the season before returning to action against Luton Town in late February.
After flying back to England early during that international break, initial indications suggested the forward would only miss the Blues’ trip to Swansea City.
However, it would prove more serious than initially thought, with Yengi eventually sidelined for Pompey’s following 19 games.
‘I flew straight back to Portsmouth and my knee had a bit of swelling in it.
‘The message from the club was that you’ll just miss out this game and you’ll be back to play the next one. We’ll just let the swelling settle down.
‘I had a big injury in my knee and was out for quite some time, so it was a bit of a tough pill to swallow.’
Yengi is currently on international duty with Australia following his Fratton Park release and is training in Abu Dhabi ahead of the Socceroos’ World Cup qualifiers against Japan and Saudi Arabia.