JED WALLACE still has a role to play at Pompey.
Guy Whittingham insisted the midfielder is still very much in his and Andy Awford’s first-team squad thinking at Fratton Park.
Wallace nearly joined Port Vale last week on loan after smashing two hat-tricks in a goal-laden period at Ryman League outfit Whitehawk.
The 18-year-old’s move fell through, though, meaning he has returned to The Enclosed Ground.
But Whittingham explained he will be in the first-team picture at Pompey moving forward.
He said: ‘Jed was very much in our thoughts in terms of, do we add one to our list if we let one go and keep him here?
‘Jed is one of those wants to play all the time and we want him to have games.
‘He’d get frustrated if he got in the squad and then wasn’t on the bench or playing.
‘When we get out of administration, Jed Wallace will be one of the first on the list that we convert into the first-team squad.
‘He was disappointed about Port Vale because he wanted to go but he’s gone back to Whitehawk and he can play for them. Then, when everything’s sorted here, we’ll call him back and he’ll be part of the squad.’
Whittingham also explained QPR midfielder Frankie Sutherland was close to joining Pompey last week but would have been unlikely to feature too heavily.
He said: ‘I doubt whether the lad from QPR would have been starting for us. It would have been a chance to look at a young player.’
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