Norwich prospect offers attacking conundrum as Portsmouth boss weighs up most effective role

The talented teenager has been earmarked for wing duty by the Blues boss following his Norwich arrival on a season-long loan.

Nonetheless, Kamara’s prized flexibility has already been apparent in friendly outings against Crawley and AFC Wimbledon.

He has so far been utilised on either wing as well as at number 10 as Mousinho uses his friendlies to pinpoint where the 19-year-old can wreak the most damage.

And there will be another opportunity to assess Kamara in Saturday’s visit of Bristol City to Fratton Park (3pm), before attention turns to the League One fixture list.

Mousinho told The News: ‘Abu is one we have tracked for quite a while and has a really good goal-scoring record for Norwich’s development side.

‘We think we have an exciting prospect there and, at 19, are pretty sure the long-term future for him is going to be in the Championship or hopefully the Premier League.

‘Overall it’s going to be a good fit because he’s quite versatile in terms of positions. He can play anywhere across the front four, but most of the time has operated as a number 10 for Norwich.

‘We used Abu as a left winger against Crawley and he did really well. He cuts inside well, has a very good first touch, and can also run beyond. He’s a big lad too and he can cause problems.

‘It’s a good one for us to bring someone in who has that versatility. We haven’t necessarily had anyone that’s a natural fit for the number 10 position, certainly since I’ve been here.

‘We obviously played Joe Pigott there for a bit last year, but he is probably much more of a traditional nine.

‘It’s something for us to think about, but really we see him as filling a position on the wing.

‘As a natural left-footer, I think he can operate on the left in particular, although was used on the right against Wimbledon.’

Having trained with Norwich this summer, Pompey have been able to throw Kamara straight into their pre-season schedule.

It contrasts with Regan Poole, who has yet to feature for more than 60 minutes in friendlies, despite his arrival on a free transfer almost three weeks ago.

Although both are expected to face Nigel Pearson’s side in a fixture which marks the Blues’ final friendly of the summer.

Mousinho added: ‘Abu’s had a good pre-season with Norwich and ended up playing two 45 minutes with them before he arrived here.

‘So he has been slightly different in terms of a player coming into the fold and not coming in cold.

‘Regan is different, he hasn’t had a pre-season because he’s not been with a club, so we’ve been slightly more cautious in terms of bringing him back.’