Harvey Blair joined Championship side Portsmouth from Liverpool last summer
Kaide Gordon (right) and Harvey Blair of Liverpool arriving in Philadelphia for their pre-season US tour last summer.
Kaide Gordon (right) and Harvey Blair of Liverpool arriving in Philadelphia for their pre-season US tour last summer.
(Image: Andrew Powell/Liverpool FC via Getty Images)
Former Liverpool youngster Harvey Blair has been urged to get pre-season games under his belt to avoid playing catch-up with his Portsmouth team-mates. Blair, who had been at the club's famed Academy in Kirkby since under-12 level, made the move to Fratton Park last summer.
The forward, 21, made his senior debut for Reds in October 2021 away at Preston North End in the Carabao Cup and featured regularly for Arne Slot's side in pre-season last summer, appearing in the friendlies with Preston, Real Betis, Arsenal, Manchester United and Las Palmas. However, he has found first-team appearances hard to come by for the Championship outfit, as he featured just 12 times, scoring once, last season.
But as Blair continues to get back to full fitness after picking up a hamstring injury against Hull City on the final day of last season, he has been urged by his manager, John Mousinho, to play as many pre-season matches as he can in order to be ready for the start of the season.
"Harvey's doing well, but it's important for him to get back (as quickly as he can)," he told the Portsmouth News.
"He's been out for more than nine weeks now with a pretty severe hamstring tear. It was one where he did it in the challenger, rather than accelerating away from the challenge.
"We saw glimpses of what Harvey is capable of before that at the end of the season. He had that cameo against Millwall and then played against Sheffield Wednesday and scored.
"Even against Hull in getting injured he carried the ball 70 yards, leaving three or four players stood still.
"We know what Harvey is capable of and we want him to get back to that. The physical side is really important and he needs to get fit, because when he's been fit he's look good.
"I think we saw that in the Sheffield Wednesday game. If he falls off, he falls off without having the playing time, so it's absolutely fine.
"So we do need to get him up to scratch. We need him to play pre-season games, so he's ready to kick on."
Reflecting on his first season at Fratton Park back in April, Blair said: "It's been a rollercoaster season for me, but I just need to keep my head down, keep working hard and make sure next season I'm firing on all cylinders.
"All the lads have been unbelievable since the day I came in, welcomed me with open arms and I couldn't ask for any more."