LAST UPDATE | 8 Dec 2021

MANAGER DANNY COWLEY is confident that Portsmouth won’t lose the services of Gavin Bazunu next month.

Bazunu, who was making his 20th appearance for the club, kept his third consecutive League One clean sheet in last night’s goalless draw with Sheffield Wednesday.

The Ireland goalkeeper joined Portsmouth on loan from Manchester City in July. The deal is intended to last for the duration of the season, but City do have the option of bringing him back to the club when the January transfer window opens.

Amid concerns around Fratton Park that the Premier League side may exercise that option in order to loan Bazunu out to a club playing at a higher level, Cowley has moved to allay the fears of Pompey fans.

According to the Portsmouth boss, City can only recall the 19-year-old Dubliner in the unlikely event that they experience a personnel shortage in the goalkeeping department.

Ederson is Pep Guardiola’s first-choice stopper, while Zack Steffen and Scott Carson are also regularly involved with the first-team squad on matchdays. Further down the pecking order on the books of the English champions, Cieran Slicker and Mikki van Sas have been sharing the load for Brian Barry-Murphy’s U23 side.

“The clause is if Manchester City get into serious injury concerns with the goalkeepers,” explained Cowley, whose side have moved up to ninth place in the League One table thanks to an eight-match unbeaten run.

“They have a few in front of Gavin – not loads, but enough to suggest [a recall] won’t happen. We would have to be very unlucky should that occur, but then again not much has gone for us at the moment.

“Gavin has been incredible for us at every level in terms of improving the team, working towards the game idea and value for money.”

Bazunu, who is contracted to Manchester City until 2024, earned his 10th senior cap for Ireland in last month’s 3-0 win over Luxembourg.