Danny Cowley makes transfer claim about Portsmouth man as Bristol Rovers clash looms | OneFootball

Portsmouth head coach Danny Cowley has admitted that the club are looking to sanction a loan move for Haji Mnoga to a League Two side between now and the end of the transfer window.

However, a departure is currently being put on hold due to the fact that Mnoga is providing cover in the centre-back position.

Portsmouth are currently unable to call upon the services of Clark Robertson whilst Connor Ogilvie is being utilised on the left-hand side of the pitch as a result of Denver Hume’s absence.

A product of Portsmouth’s youth academy, Mnoga made his debut for the club in 2018 during an EFL Trophy clash with Crawley Town.

Since achieving this personal milestone, the defender has only made 15 further appearances for Pompey as he has been loaned out by the club on three separate occasions.

Having secured an impressive 4-1 victory over Cambridge United earlier this week, Portsmouth will be determined to back up this performance by sealing all three points in their showdown with Bristol Rovers this weekend.

Ahead of Saturday’s game, Cowley has addressed Mnoga’s current situation at Fratton Park.

Speaking to The News, Cowley said: “Haji is training really well.

“We’d like to get him a League Two loan, that would be our ideal.

‘He’s absolutely ready for League Two now and to play at that level, but we want to find the right club for him.

‘There was a club who wanted to take him and play him right-back.

‘But we want to play him centre-half now and we’re pretty clear on that – and so is he.

“So we’re just waiting for the right club and when that comes around we’ll look at it.”

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The Verdict

When you consider that Mnoga is not currently guaranteed regular first-team football at Portsmouth, it is hardly a surprise that Cowley is open to the possibility of sanctioning a temporary exit.

Providing that Robertson is able to step up his road to recovery, Mnoga could potentially be loaned out to a team in a lower division in the coming weeks.

By featuring week-in, week-out for a team in the fourth-tier, the defender may end up making considerable strides in terms of his development before returning to Fratton Park next year.

Portsmouth meanwhile will be looking to push on in League One in the absence of Mnoga over the course of the coming months after making a positive start to the new term.