Portsmouth hint at selection decision for ‘outstanding’ West Ham loan man ahead of QPR
Due to the absence of Freddie Potts, a West Ham loanee, from the squad, Portsmouth has won consecutive games.
As he looks to return from injury for Portsmouth against QPR this weekend, West Ham loanee Freddie Potts has received assurances regarding his playing time.
A calf injury sustained by the 21-year-old earlier this month at Sheffield United was described as “nothing major” by the Pompey manager, who expressed hope that Potts will return to the team to play against QPR. In Championship action, the R’s travel to Fratton Park on Saturday.
Because of Potts’ absence, Portsmouth has used former QPR players Andre Dozzell and Isaac Hayden in central midfield. The Hammers player had only missed games when he needed a break, starting 25 of 27 Portsmouth games before that.
John Mousinho labels Freddie Potts as ‘outstanding’
Portsmouth’s victories over Cardiff City and Oxford United since his calf injury suggested that Potts would have to fight to return to the team against QPR, but Mousinho told The News that the loan star is still in his sights: “Nobody is an automatic selection, but I certainly think that, when Freddie’s available, he more than deserves to be on the team sheet at the moment. As long as he plays as well as he’s been playing, he will keep his place.”
“We have been participating in game after game with him. Given the quantity of matches we had, January was undoubtedly a crazy month. I wouldn’t have taken Freddie out of the side if I had felt that there had been a considerable downturn with him.
“In order to relax and protect him, I only brought him out for the Bristol City and West Brom games. And after that, he was bound to return. Overall, he has been excellent, and I have always believed he should be included in the squad.
“As a testament to Freddie, we saw January as someone we wanted to maintain rather than pursue other options. Looking over our shoulder to make sure he wasn’t remembered was far more important.
Freddie Potts in contention for QPR return
After making an impression at Wycombe Wanderers in League One during the 2023–2024 season, Potts signed a season-long loan to Portsmouth last August. Two of the midfielder’s three first-team appearances for West Ham came during the team’s run to European championship in the Europa Conference League.
“We put Freddie in the side as soon as we could,” Mousinho continued. He was a player at Burnley and has maintained his
location almost continuously since. It has been a significant adjustment for him to go to a different level, to a team that hasn’t been removing trees for most of the season.
He has arrived and ensured that he has truly honed his physical skills. He is incredibly talented technically, has handled it quite well, and has a lot of promise.”
In other news, after suffering a severe hamstring injury, another West Ham loanee is expected to be brought up from League Two.
