‘Age isn’t going to be a barrier’ - John Mousinho details Portsmouth transfer stance after Premier League 2 visit

But the head coach hasn’t ruled the Blues out of venturing into the Premier League 2 market this summer in a bid to find up-and-coming talent.

The 36-year-old was in attendance for Manchester City under-21’s league victory over West Ham under-21 last Friday.

This saw City’s academy side thrash the young Irons outfit 5-1, with Mousinho and personnel from other clubs also watching on.

It has been well documented that Pompey have changed their transfer strategy to target young, exciting under-23 talent to bolster their ranks.

Indeed, that shift in focus has been evident, with Paddy Lane and Ryley Towler both arriving on permanent deals in the January window.

But Mousinho is adamant the Blues must not pigeonhole themselves into a specific-age category in order to recruit new faces.

When questioned about his attendance at Manchester City under-21’s victory at West Ham under-21, he told The News: ‘It was a really good opportunity for me to get out and see some under-21s football.

‘If you look at where I was over the past couple of years, even though I was holding a player/coach role, I was still a registered player so Friday nights for me going to games wasn’t a possibility.

‘It was really good to go and see what the layer of the land is there, it was nothing specific but just having a look at what the level is like and picking up an idea of what the players that maybe available next year are like live and in person.

‘It’s quite a difficult league to look at because sometimes there is a lack of footage but when you’re out there live its a good experience.

‘There were quite a few (players) who caught my eye but I couldn’t tell you because there were quite a few other clubs there as well looking to poach them.

‘It was nothing specific, just an overview.

‘Age isn’t going to be a barrier for us.

‘It’s about players who are good enough to play for Pompey and players who want to play for Pompey and are going to improve us.

‘Sometimes players are available at young ages that we can develop and that’s great but it’s not about pigeonholing ourselves and restricting ourselves on who we can sign.

‘It’s another league where we can definitely take players.’

Mousinho has insisted he will be looking to attend more matches ahead of the summer transfer window as he looks to ramp up his recruitment.

He added: ‘It’s really good for me to get involved and for me to see as much as possible because it’s about mixing everything together to make sure everyone is happy with signings or turning players down.’