There are a handful of former Preston North End players currently in management but few are enjoying the level of success John Mousinho is experiencing at Portsmouth.
Graham Alexander is trying to get Bradford City back on the right track whilst Stephen Robinson has been impressive as St Mirren boss.
Callum Davidson is back in the game with Queen’s Park whilst Neill Collins has Barnsley challenging for promotion from League One.
David Healy has been a trophy-winning machine in charge of Linfield but Michael Appleton and Gareth Ainsworth are waiting for opportunities to get back into management.
Then there is John Mousinho, a player whose career at Deepdale was largely forgettable.
Mousinho follow Graham Westley to PNE in 2012 having impressed as a box-to-box midfielder under Westley at Stevenage.
Mousinho just never got going at Deepdale and managed only one goal in 32 games before leaving in the summer of 2014.
Now a manager with Portsmouth, Mousinho is sitting five points clear at the top of League One and closing in on promotion.
Mousinho would be a Pompey hero forever if he can take them back to the Championship, and to do it in his first managerial job is even more impressive.
PNE may yet be haunted by Mousinho though as Portsmouth are now being linked with a move for one North End transfer target…
Portsmouth join PNE in Marc Leonard race
The Daily Record claim that Portsmouth have joined PNE in the race to sign Brighton and Hove Albion talent Marc Leonard this summer.
Reports earlier in March suggested that PNE have made Leonard a key target for the summer transfer window.
Leonard is currently on loan at Northampton Town and North End would allegedly like to bring him to Deepdale.
Well, Mousinho is now interested too and has been described as a ‘long-term admirer’ of the Scottish talent.
Mousinho is understood to have scouted Leonard over the weekend with Portsmouth now hoping to strike a summer deal.
The time may have come for Leonard to leave Brighton and settle down elsewhere with a route to first-team football a little tricky at the Amex Stadium.
North End could offer more action but it’s unclear whether the interest in Leonard is directly linked to Alan Browne’s future.
The PNE captain is out of contract this summer and fans are still left hoping that he will stay put after more than a decade at the club.
If Browne stays, a move for Leonard may be a little less likely – and Mousinho may well be hoping that Browne commits to PNE and potentially takes North End out of the race for Leonard.
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