Ex-Portsmouth youngster hoping to find a club at European Championships after heartbreaking Fratton Park exit

Alfie Bridgman will next month compete against some of the best young talent in world football at the prestigious under-19s tournament.

As the host nation, Malta will rub shoulders in a group which contains Italy, Portugal and Poland.

And spearheading their attack will be Bridgman, who has netted three times in eight matches since making his debut last summer.

The 19-year-old is searching for another club after the Blues opted against offering him a new deal, departing alongside Dan Gifford at the season’s end.

Since then, it is understood there has been interest from Ireland, Malta and the local non-league scene in the free agent, who rose through Fratton Park’s ranks to feature twice for the first-team.

In the meantime, Bridgman has international commitments to fulfil and flew out to Malta at the start of the month ahead of the European Under-19 Championships.

They are scheduled to play two friendlies in preparation for the tournament, while in their most recent outing beat Albania 2-1 in March.

Bridgman netted in that triumph, albeit having been converted into a centre-forward for his country, switching from his customary wing role.

Despite hailing from Crookhorn, the pacy attacker qualifies through his grandmother and is in the process of taking up dual citizenship, which will allow him to be considered for the senior team.

Malta’s first match of Group A is against Italy (July 3), followed by Poland (July 6) and Portugal (July 9).

With two groups in total, Group B consists of Spain, Greece, Norway and Iceland, with the top two in each reaching the semi-finals.

The European Championships finish on July 16, with Bridgman scheduled to return home the following day, picking up his hunt for a new club.

The former Purbrook Park School pupil spent two successful loan spells at Bognor in the 2022-23 season, totalling 35 games and seven goals.

He played at Nyewood Lane alongside fellow loanees Gifford, who scored 10 times, and Academy graduate Josh Dockerill, who has since signed professional terms with Pompey.

There’s now interest in Bridgman from elsewhere as he bids to bounce back from his Blues disappointment and carve out a career in the game.

And where better to catch the eye than the European Under-19 Championships.