‘You could see it’: Portsmouth manager reveals why excellent West Ham loanee was replaced.
John Mousinho justified his decision to replace outstanding rookie Freddie Potts, saying: “We didn’t want to risk injury.
The 21-year-old made his Pompey debut against Burnley last weekend, marking his first competitive action since April 23 against Wycombe.
Potts, who started in place of Andre Dozzell in central midfield, put up a confident performance and contributed to Callum Lang’s 42nd-minute goal.
Despite his departure in the 61st minute, Burnley defeated the Blues 2-1 in a heartbreaking final.
Some Fratton fans have later questioned the replacement, and Mousinho has explained his rationale.
He told The News that it was Freddie’s first start in a long time, and he was tired after 60 minutes. We didn’t want to risk an injury or a critical point in the game when we needed fresh legs.
You could see it. I’m not sure whether anyone recalls the tackle in the middle of the park that sent Freddie to the ground, but I believed it was a hint that his legs were particularly tired at the time. He had worked an excellent shift.
In terms of competitive football, Freddie hasn’t played a minute of preseason since the conclusion of last season. It was a tremendous ask for Freddie to lace up his boots, go out to Turf Moor, and perform as well as he did against such a good Burnley midfield.
‘He genuinely appeared quite relaxed and in command of his game. He was instrumental in achieving our goal, and I am really satisfied with him.
‘But we have to make sure we build on it, like Josh (Murphy) did last week, when he played 60 minutes against West Brom and then 90 minutes against Burnley. We’ll be there immediately with the players.
‘Freddie has really impressed in training; he’s been extremely assured, cool, and collected, and Burnley was seeking to change things after losing two games in a row.
“Giving Freddie a chance to go and play was the right thing to do.”
Potts was named Supporters’ Player of the Season, Young Player of the Season, and Players’ Player of the Season after playing 43 games on loan at Wycombe Wanderers last season.
Saturday marked the talented West Ham youngster’s first Championship appearance, highlighting his continued growth.
Mousinho went on to say, “Freddie was calm and composed; he was in position when the ball dropped to him, and he put his foot on it.”
‘The finest illustration is our goal, in which the ball breaks down and he scoops up the second ball and passes it to Zak. He pursues his pass, eventually finding Paddy Lane in the left-side 10 position, and we score from there.
‘The highest praise I can offer him is that the only thing I worried about was his fitness; I had no other concerns. He was in position the most of the time, competed effectively, and passed the ball well; it was a really well-rounded performance.’
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