Luton Town: Jack Wilshere must be on red alert at what Portsmouth’s John Mousinho has just done | OneFootball

John Mousinho left the Luton Town loanee out of the matchday squad for Portsmouth's win over Middlesbrough

Portsmouth pulled off one of the shocks of the season at the Riverside on Saturday, beating promotion-chasing Middlesbrough 1–0 thanks to a late Conor Chaplin effort.

Those three points ensured that John Mousinho's side remained above the bottom three, after Oxford United also won against Watford, and gave them a massive confidence boost ahead of a season-defining final five games in this relegation scrap.

However, there were some eyebrows raised when the team news was released, as Luton Town loanee Jacob Brown was left out of the 20-man squad completely.

Amongst all the headlines and celebrations surrounding the massive away win, it was a big talking point, especially given Pompey's struggles in front of goal this season — struggles which have, albeit, not ended with the 28-year-old's arrival.

And, after John Mousinho admitted that this was a tactical decision after the game, it has raised questions over Brown's long-term future.

Jacob Brown hasn't impressed during his loan spell at Portsmouth

Brown, like many at Luton, was playing League One football at the start of the campaign, just a couple of seasons on from lining out in the Premier League at Kenilworth Road.

The 28-year-old signed from Stoke City in August 2023, where he netted 30 times in 141 Potters appearances, but hardly made much of an impact both in the top flight and in the Hatters' second-tier return due in part to a few long-term injuries — the most recent of which took him out of action for nine months between March and November last year.

His return came one month after Jack Wilshere was hired at Luton, and while he featured from then until January, it was clear that, once the window opened, the 33-year-old was able to bring in some players who suited him, and Brown was going to be expendable.

However, every loan spell presents an opportunity for a player to impress and force their way back into their parent side, especially if, like Brown, you are loaned to a side in the division above, which both he and Millenic Alli were during the January transfer window.

But, while Alli has been one of Portsmouth's most dangerous attacking options over the past few months, sitting in the top 15% of Championship left-wingers in successful dribbles per 90, according to Fotmob, Brown has struggled to get in the team at all.

He's started four times, scored just once, and, as mentioned, against Middlesbrough, he was left out of the squad altogether, with John Mousinho opting to include 21-year-old Tom Waddingham for his first squad appearance since picking up a quad injury in September.

While managers will have their reasoning behind squad selection and the different profiles they include on their benches, it's rather damning to see from the outside, and won't do a lot to change Jack Wilshere's mind when it comes to potentially being reintegrated into the Luton fold.

Jack Wilshere is starting to discover his best squad at Luton Town — Jacob Brown may be left by the wayside this summer

It's been a strange season at Luton, as the Hatters have had to contend with the fallout of back-to-back relegations, with plenty of player turnover and a managerial change in the opening months of the campaign, too.

However, as we near the end of it, Jack Wilshere is starting to get a head of steam with the current crop of players, as he's started to properly figure out his best eleven.

In attacking areas, Nahki Wells continued to cement his place as the main line leader, with the likes of Devante Cole and Gideon Kodua as apt deputies.

But in wide areas and in the midfield, the likes of Jake Richards and Emilio Lawrence have started to excel under the young boss, alongside the ever-reliable presences of Kasey Palmer and Jordan Clark.

After winning the EFL Trophy, there may be some hope at Kenilworth Road that Luton can sneak into the League One play-offs, too, and if they do, they'll have the momentum there to perhaps engineer a Championship return which looked incredibly unlikely back in February.

Regardless of what division Luton finds itself in next season, though, the first summer window under Jack Wilshere will most definitely provide more opportunities for the squad to be tailored more towards the 33-year-old's needs.

Back in January, that didn't include Brown, and after a lacklustre spell at Portsmouth, it likely won't include him in the summer, either.