Portsmouth striker, John Marquis, has underperformed at Fratton Park in the eyes of David Norris. 

Marquis was brought in at Portsmouth from Doncaster Rovers back in the summer of 2019 for what has been described as 'big money' in the past.

His form with Doncaster was electric, with Marquis scoring 61 goals in 134 league starts in South Yorkshire.

The 28-year-old forward has struggled to hit those heights at Portsmouth, though, scoring 24 League One goals across two seasons. That includes 16 in the 2020/21 campaign, but Pompey have missed out on the top-six and are facing another year in the third-tier, now under the management of Danny Cowley.

Given the high expectations of supporters, Norris feels that Marquis has underperformed.

Speaking exclusively to Football League World, the former Portsmouth midfielder said: “I don’t really like to slam players or talk them down because I know it’s not easy to go in and do well. Sometimes it’s the right club, at the right time.

“He’s just struggled. It’s the confidence of being in that team that’s been so up and down, not really creating many chances.

“It’s fair to say that he’s underperformed and I think he would admit that himself.

“Like I said before, it isn’t going to be fully his fault, Portsmouth haven’t been a very creative team overall.

“It might be that they (the Cowley’s) keep him in, bring the players in to play a certain way and it is different for him. But, as it stands, I think he has underperformed.”

Marquis' critics have come outside of Fratton Park this season due to the campaign going behind closed doors in 2020/21, with many opinions shared on social media.

Portsmouth would have been able to welcome a section of fans back had they qualified for the play-offs, but instead, the Pompey faithful will have to wait until August to return.

Norris believes that their patience and support, in return for Marquis' effort and commitment, could lead to a bit more success further down the line.

He continued: “If he’s not doing well, the fans are going to let you know and that can make things even worse.

“The Portsmouth fans are very good and patient at times. They want to see players do well, so if he’s showing effort and commitment that will buy him some time with the fans and they’ll give him the benefit of the doubt.

“Then, it is just about how quickly he can turn things around.

“If he starts doing well and gets the fans behind him, his confidence will rocket.”