'Definitely' - Portsmouth boss discusses prospect of recruiting Premier League youngsters

But the Blues boss told of the caveats that come with signing under-21 players looking for first-team experience.

Despite being halfway through the January transfer window, Pompey have yet to make a signing.

Jackett wants a left-back after Cam Pring was recalled to Bristol City, with Charlie Daniels and Steve Seddon both targets.

The Blues also covet a central midfielder to provide cover to key-pair Andy Cannon and Tom Naylor.

Pompey are currently finding it difficult to prise fringe men at Championship clubs to Fratton Park because of the introduction of nine substitutions.

But another option that could be explored is loan deals for fledgling top-flight talents.

An advantage to that is that under-21s do not count towards the League One salary cap.

If the right player became available then Jackett wouldn’t hesitate to bring them to Pompey.

But often there needs to be a promise of regular action rather than providing cover – which is the difficult part.

Jackett told The News: ‘We would do (sign them), definitely but you have got a responsibility for game time.

‘I understand that we do need cover but unless you can promise people game time, it's hard for them to actually come – particularly on loan.

‘I do think there are under-21 players that can do that (make an impact). You just have to make sure that they're coming into your team.

‘That's the important thing or there is an agreement in place where they come in, prove themselves and get in the team that way.

‘You do need clarity in terms of where they are when they first come in.

‘It's not always necessarily guaranteed but they want to come in and have a first chance of playing and then being able to keep their shirt.

‘They understand generally it's not necessarily guaranteed but, similarly, there has to be an intention to play them rather than just to cover. That's what you need.

‘It doesn't always work out perfectly but it very much depends on what is said and having an agreement in place where clubs want players to go out on loan and get a certain amount of minutes and games.’

Pompey were recently linked with Manchester United midfielder Dylan Levitt. Meanwhile, Brighton’s Alex Cochrane and Leeds defender Leif Davis were summer targets.

Jackett admits he would rather give permanent Blues players minutes, although he knows there are potential loanees who could improve his starting XI.

He added: ‘We do want to give our own players opportunities.

‘Similarly, we want to be as strong as we can over the next four months because it's a vital period and we have so much to play for.’