Portsmouth must push past Everton to seal Man City deal: View | OneFootball

Alex Robertson has impressed on loan at Portsmouth this season before suffering a serious injury, and the club would do well to retain him for at least another season if possible.

The midfielder joined Pompey on loan in the summer from Man City, with Pep Guardiola said to be a big fan of the 20-year-old having trained with the first-team last season.

The Scotland-born Australia international is yet to make a breakthrough at the Etihad Stadium though, unlike the likes of Oscar Bobb and Micah Hamilton, and instead he was sent out for regular minutes to the third tier of English football back in August.

Robertson made himself a regular fixture in the Portsmouth team with some impressive performances during the side's League One campaign, only contributing to five goals but he brought a lot more to John Mousinho's side.

Sadly, a torn thigh muscle ruled him out for what is expected to be the rest of the season, meaning he will miss the run in and potential title celebrations with Pompey - unless his recovery time is quicker than expected.

His appearances during the first half of the season were a big part to why the club made an early charge for the title, and because of his showings, there has been interest from a higher level.

Everton were linked with a move for Portsmouth loanee Alex Robertson in January

Robertson was playing that well for Portsmouth before Christmas that The Toffees were linked with a move for Robertson just before the January window opened.

Sean Dyche will be looking to add more players to his side in the summer following a quiet last few transfer windows due to financial issues at the club, but they have no idea what division they will be in.

With Amadou Onana likely a player of interest for many big clubs in the summer, having been linked to Arsenal back in January, the Merseyside club could have plenty of money to play with should they sell him or a star this summer.

And that could give them the few millions that would be needed to prize Robertson away from the Etihad Stadium - although it would be some step up from playing in League One to the Premier League, although it's not something that's impossible to do effectively.

Pompey should make a fresh move for Man City's Alex Robertson in the summer

Despite that Everton interest, Portsmouth should try to retain Robertson for at least another season in a summer transfer move - whether that be a permanent or the more likely option of another loan.

The Australian midfielder played 23 matches for Pompey in League One before being struck down by injury - starting in all of them.

That would suggest that Robertson would be a regular starter at Fratton Park no matter what division the club are in next season, and they should not be intimidated by Everton's interest either.

Robertsob knows Mousinho and how the club works,and is aware of how he fits into the team at this current point - he was given a prominent role in the side during his time on loan and looked to be one of the first names on the team sheet before injury ended his season.

With the ability to play in attacking or defensive midfield, he proved a versatile option in midfield, no matter how Mousinho wanted to play.

, which included creating 31 chances for his team-mates when he was on the pitch.

Game time at Everton may be hard to come by as well for Robertson, if he were to make the move to Goodison Park.

The midfielder may as well stay at Man City if he is content with sitting on the bench or in the under-21's, although the Toffees would still be able to offer more opportunities to play than the Champions League holders.

A move to Portsmouth will give Robertson the best opportunity to play regular first-team football, although the club may need to win promotion in order to secure the player's signature as it's hard to believe that he would want to be playing in League One again when he has international aspirations now with the Socceroos.

Other second tier clubs will likely be interested given Roberton's Pompey performances, so there will be a battle on the south coast club's hands anyway.

He may cost a large sum of money in terms of what Portsmouth generally pay nowadays, but more good performances could see him move for millions in the future - just like Adam Wharton's £22 million move from Blackburn in January.