Portsmouth insist Kanu is relevant

Portsmouth manager, Michael Appleton, insists his talismanic striker, Nwankwo Kanu, is still very much part of his squad, despite the Nigerians absence from the team recently.It has been two months and four days since the former Super Eagles captain last appeared for the Blues. His last game was against Ipswich where he spent 25 minutes on the pitch as a substitute.Kanu has made 167 appearances for Pompey, scoring 28 goals.Appleton said, King (Kanu) is still part of the squad and still comes in and trains every day.He is not a spring chicken any more and if the pitch was 60 by 40 (yards) hed be one of your first names because hes got fantastic ability.I had a conversation with him and he seems quite happy. He said whenever you need me, Im there.It was quite good of him because he wanted to have a chat with me and told me he would keep training and hes ready when I need him.King knows what Im trying to do from a long-term point of view and, as long as he keeps training right and being professional, there will be no issue.I couldnt expect King to be able to play for long at the level you would expect from your front men. Circumstances will dictate whether he gets another chance, whether people are playing well, scoring goals or picking up injuries and suspensions.If it doesnt, hes just got to deal with it, thats part and parcel of being a professional footballer. Sometimes you find yourself in the squad and sometimes you dont.Kanu is the second oldest player in the club besides Hermann Hreidarsson who turned 37 this year.Appleton, however, will not discriminate among his squad according to age. He insists being young or old makes no difference when selecting his team.He added, Ive got no issue with age. If they are good enough, they will play.One thing the players have responded to is that I have tried to up the intensity in training and the demands I have put on them over the past few weeks.
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