Portsmouth title winner and Wolves man takes Manchester United chance to shine at key career moment
Portsmouth title winner and Wolves man takes Manchester United chance to shine at key career moment.
He was a member of Pompey’s League One championship-winning squad, but the former Coventry City player is currently looking for employment.
It is the platform that allows scores of footballers to secure a career in the sport.
On a magnificent afternoon, a Pompey alumnus utilised it to execute a scheme that puts out-of-contract professionals in the spotlight.
Pompey old boy takes on Manchester United under-21s for PFA
The Professional Footballers’ Association (PFA) pre-season training camp closes today, after assisting more than 50 players in finding clubs this summer.
That figure is expected to skyrocket as teams turn their attention to free agents following the summer transfer window’s closure on Monday evening.
Connor Wickham, a former Crystal Palace striker, seized centre stage yesterday after his spectacular goal from the halfway line went viral during the PFA side’s 1-1 draw with Manchester United under-21s.
Ben Stevenson, a former Fratton midfielder looking for a new club, also played alongside Wickham.
Stevenson is a free agent after leaving Cambridge United in the summer following 19 appearances at the Abbey Stadium last season.
The 28-year-old was a member of John Mousinho’s 2023-24 League One title-winning squad, appearing in ten games during the midfielder’s time at Fratton.
Stevenson proven himself to be a low-maintenance squad player throughout that remarkable season, never disappointing anyone when he took the pitch for the Blues.
Pompey fans will wish the former Wolves and Coventry City player well as he seeks to secure a contract with a new company.
The PFA training camp is one which served one of Mousinho’s summer signings well already, in the shape of midfielder John Swift.
John Swift utilised PFA resources after leaving West Brom
Swift attended a two-week camp at the Champneys Springs Hotel & Spa in Leicestershire after leaving West Brom in the summer.
That means the 30-year-old wasn’t starting from scratch when he signed on with PO4 in mid-July. Ellis Harrison, who signed for Bristol Rovers for £400,000 from Ipswich Town, took a similar road.
Aiden O’Brien did the same last summer, as the former Fratton favourite was one of the 100-plus players to benefit from the initial camp. O’Brien joined Dublin-based Shelbourne and offered the PFA camp a glowing recommendation in an interview with The News earlier this year.
He stated: “The PFA training camp was like being at a Championship club, not a Premier League club, because I never played there.”
‘It was fantastic, absolutely fantastic, with an excellent setup. I would strongly advise that if you are out of contract, contact a PFA representative and enrol in that camp.
They also funded it. You were there Monday through Thursday, with two training sessions every day.
There was a gym, a pool, massages, protein smoothies, GPS to track your jogging, and everything else you needed to ensure you were ready for when a club called. It was wonderful, truly exceptional.
He said: ‘The PFA training camp was like being at a Championship club, I can’t say a Premier League club, because I never played there.’
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