Portsmouth head coach Danny Cowley has admitted that he wants Jay Mingi to try and fight his way into the club's starting eleven during pre-season.

Mingi is currently attracting interest from League Two and National League sides ahead of the summer window.

Pompey decided to take up the option to extend the midfielder's contract earlier this month.

Mingi joined Portsmouth in September and was loaned out to Maidenhead United in order to gain some experience.

During his time with the Magpies, the 21-year-old made eight appearances in the fifth-tier for the club whilst he also featured in the FA Cup.

Mingi returned to Pompey earlier this year and went on to play three games in League One during the latter stages of the 2021/22 campaign.

Portsmouth will be hoping to emerge as legitimate contenders for a top-six finish next season after finishing the previous term 10 points adrift of the play-offs.

Making reference to Mingi's future, Cowley has admitted that he is keen to see the midfielder compete for a regular place in Pompey's side.

Speaking to The News about the midfielder, the Pompey boss said: "There's a lot of clubs at National League and League Two level who are very interested in taking Jay on loan.

"We just have to get the right pathway for him now moving forward.

"We would ideally like him to fight his way into our team.

"So it's going to be an important close season and pre-season for him."

The Verdict

Having opted to keep Mingi at the club, it is hardly a surprise that Cowley wants to see the midfielder progress as a player in the coming months.

In order to boost his chances of featuring regularly in the third-tier next season, the midfielder will need to impress in pre-season.

If Mingi is unable to make any inroads on Portsmouth's starting eleven, Cowley could still potentially opt to send him out on a short-term loan.

By featuring regularly at senior level later this year, the midfielder may end making considerable strides in terms of his development.