Enigmatic Blues winger ‘is now 25 and has to kick on’, says Mousinho
John Mousinho is determined to finally unlock the conundrum which has perplexed two Pompey predecessors.
Aged 25, Reeco Hackett has amassed 79 appearances and 11 goals since his January 2020 arrival from Bromley.
Yet he has long struggled to establish himself in Pompey’s first team, firstly under Kenny Jackett and then Danny Cowley. He even found himself out of the match-day squad for Saturday’s win against Accrington.
Mousinho pinpoints Hackett’s consistency and injury record for holding back the talented winger’s Fratton Park development.
And he is targeting implementing a summer training programme to finally get the best out of the former Lincoln target.
Mousinho told The News: ‘Reeco has a huge amount of talent, he always has done, but we have to make sure he becomes a front-line winger for Pompey in the future.
‘First of all, there is the physical aspect of it. Every time Reeco has had a run of games he has ended up picking a knock here and there.
‘The two that spring to mind were after he played against Burton and Lincoln, then he came out of the side with an injury.
‘Later he played three games in a row – Accrington, Bristol Rovers and Port Vale – and came out of the side with a knock as well.
‘We must ensure we build up Reeco’s resilience and physicality, making sure he’s capable of playing those 46 games a season, then his talent will speak for itself.
‘Theseknocksareprobably through no fault of his own, but what that does is impact his match fitness and whether you can sustain that relentless Saturday-Tuesday-Saturday throughout the season.
‘Quite possibly Reeco will have a summer programme.
‘He is now 25 and has to kick on, he knows that. He wants to play regularly in the side and push himself and we want to push him as well.
‘I know he has the ability, I see him on the training pitch every day. He is a real threat, he’s 6ft 3in, an athletic, quick, strong, powerful player with a really good left foot and a really good finish.
‘It’s just about putting all of those attributes together on the pitch consistently over 90 minutes again and again and again and being a goal threat.’