Star expected to finish his Peterborough United career with a bang

The gifted wide player has made a quiet return to first-team action following a hamstring operation, but he managed a crucial goal assist before his substitution early in the second-half of last weekend’s handsome 3-0 home win over Charlton Athletic. Poku, who is expected to leave London Road when his contract expires in June, is likely to start Saturday’s tough game at Reading and he should be able to last 90 minutes.

"Kwame has come back and played in two very different games,” Posh boss Darren Ferguson said. “It was a very bitty, stop-start game at Cambridge and then a very intense match against Charlton, and he found last weekend’s game harder. I asked how he was at half-time and he said he could manage another 15 minutes, but it looked to me like he couldn’t get his legs going again so I took him off.

"I have to say Cian Hayes was outstanding after he went on for Kwame. All the threat against us was from the Charlton left and Cian helped Carl Johnston nullify that. Kwame and Cian are two very different players and both caused Charlton problems, but I expect Kwame to get stronger and stronger over the last nine games.”

Centre-forwards Brad Ihionvien and Gustav Lindgren have returned to full fitness, but only one of them is likely to sit on the substitutes’ bench as understudy to Ricky-Jade Jones. The matchday squad has also been re-inforced by the return from suspension of Tayo Edun and the return from international duty of Hector Kyprianou.

“I had 22 players training yesterday so four of them won’t even make the substitutes’ bench,” Ferguson admitted. “And that’s something I will now have to manage. I have tricky decisions, but you want that as a manager. You don’t want things too easy. Look at Jadel Katongo. He played 35-40 games last season and because he’s been injured a lot he’s not always been in the squad.

"Gustav and Brad are both fit so I have a decision to make there as I won’t have both of them and Ricky in the squad. We haven’t seen the real Gustav yet, but hopefully the injury lay-off will ironically have freshened him up.”