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Sammy Silvera looks set to return to Middlesbrough from his Pompey loan spell soon

This article is part of Football League World's 'Terrace Talk' series, which provides personal opinions from our FLW Fan Pundits regarding the latest breaking news, teams, players, managers, potential signings and more...

Middlesbrough have been told to recall on-loan winger Sammy Silvera from his spell at Portsmouth, amid rumours that Boro are set to cut his time at Fratton Park short after some ominous recent comments from Pompey boss John Mousinho.

Silvera joined Pompey on a season-long loan deal in July, and despite a decent start to life on the south coast, the 24-year-old has struggled to make an impact on Mousinho's struggling side in recent weeks and months.

His recent absences from the matchday squad have seen Mousinho faced with questions about his loan winger's future, and it certainly does look likely that he is set to return to Teesside soon and look for another loan away from parent club Middlesbrough.

Pompey

Silvera began this season as a regular either in the starting eleven or off the bench for Pompey, yet he has seen his chances on the pitch dwindle in recent months, and has made just one appearance in the last 10 Portsmouth games, with a rare start last month against Bristol City.

Boss Mousinho recently insisted to Portsmouth News that he is "not sure" on Silvera's recall situation, but transfer journalist Darren Witcoop, via X, has since revealed that Pompey plan to cut the Australian international's spell short soon.

Our Blues fan pundit, Miltos Ioannidis, believes that the 24-year-old will return to Boro soon, as it does not benefit any party for him to stay at Pompey and sit on the bench for the rest of the season.

“I think Middlesbrough recalling Sammy Silvera would be best for both parties, unfortunately," Miltos told FLW.

“I think John Mousinho knows it, and Sammy himself will probably also tell you that his loan spell with us hasn’t turned out the way he would have ideally liked it to have turned out.

“He’s had plenty of chances to impress. I was one of the first that was really impressed and intrigued by the potential qualities that he could bring to the table, especially after the first game of the season against Leeds.

“He played very decent that day. He wasn’t perfect, but you could very clearly see that he possessed some really good qualities, and if he put them together he could be a really good player.

“Unfortunately, it has never quite clicked for him here and never happened.

“He has spent a lot of time on the bench, then he finally played a couple of weeks ago against Bristol City. He didn’t take his chance, and it is hard to see him getting a chance to prove himself again if he does stay.

“Middlesbrough aren't dumb, they can see if Sammy is finding it difficult here. He is probably not quite as ready for Championship football as they thought he was.

“I think it would definitely be best if Middlesbrough recalled him. I don’t think it would benefit anyone if Silvera was to stay any longer.

“We have made our intentions clear to strengthen the attacking department, and I just don’t see a world where he is going to get much game-time if he stays here.”

Michael Carrick and John Mousinho have hinted at Silvera decision

Silvera was previously a fixture in Michael Carrick's side, and made 37 appearances for the Teessiders last season after he had joined the club from Central Coast Mariners in July 2023.

The 24-year-old is clearly highly-rated by Boro, given that they sanctioned his loan out to a fellow Championship side, and boss Carrick has previously hinted at the club ending his loan spell early this month.

"There are possibilities (Silvera could be recalled). There's not much more to give you," he told TeessideLive.

"It’s that stage where we’re considering what’s best for us, for Sammy and what that looks like. We’ll wait and see on that one."

Mousinho has since admitted that he is unsure on the situation that lies ahead, but it certainly does seem like Silvera will see his spell at Fratton Park cut short soon.

According to Teesside Live, the 24-year-old is unlikely to be named in Boro’s 25-man squad for the second half of the season if he is recalled early from Pompey, so it looks as if he will be loaned back out to another club at the end of the month, but whether that would be to the Championship or League One remains to be seen.