For the second successive season, Paul Cook has got his Portsmouth side right up there competing for promotion to League One.

The sleeping giants - who were a Premier League club and won the FA Cup just a few years ago - endured a shocking free fall down the leagues and it looked like it could potentially end up as non-league football.

Things have steadied of late and a promotion surge last year ended in a disappointing play-off semi-final loss at the hands of Plymouth.

Pompey have a very talented squad for League Two level and should - on paper - be competing for the automatic promotion spots by the end of the season.

Experienced goalkeeper David Forde, alongside quality defenders Christian Burgess and Enda Stevens, provides a solid foundation for Portsmouth to build on.

Carl Baker, Kyle Bennett and Gary Roberts are creative goalscoring midfielders and striker quartet Conor Chaplin, Curtis Main, Michael Smith and Noel Hunt all know where the goal is.

Therefore certain other players have been cast to the periphery and here are two who should ask Cook for a loan move away in January.

Jack Whatmough

Jack Whatmough established himself as a regular in the Portsmouth defence when he was just a teenager in the 2014/15 season but injury issues last season limited his game time.

He is still trying to recover from the serious knee injury and he has only managed three league matches so far this season.

The 20-year-old is behind Christian Burgess and Matt Clarke in the race to play centre half but the former England under-19 defender would be a great temporary addition to a team lower in the League Two table.

Christian Oxlade-Chamberlain

Christian Oxlade-Chamberlain's brother - England international Alex - learnt his trade on the south coast for Southampton but the younger boy is at Portsmouth.

The 18-year-old is not a winger like Alex, but he is a holding midfielder, and is extremely highly rated at Portsmouth.

Pompey are not sheltering their starlet, though, as he has previously had loan spells at Wimborne Town, Salisbury and Eastbourne and half a season in the National League would do him the world of good in his attempts to break into the first team picture at Fratton Park.

 

Portsmouth fans - would you sanction loan moves for these two? Can they play a part at the moment? Let us know in the comments below..