Powerful in the air, progressive with his passing and dynamic with his runs: Portsmouth's latest non-league target

And the stats show the Blues could be landing one of the most progressive talents with the ball outside of the top four divisions in Altrincham’s Toby Mullarkey.

The News yesterday reported Danny Cowley is tracking the centre-back, as he looks for young players on the rise this summer.

The 25-year-old fits the bill for what the Pompey boss is aiming to recruit, with the right-footed player operating in the middle of the back line - a clear area of focus.

Using performance data from analytics platform Wyscout, it’s clear that the former Crewe trainee particularly shines when it comes to heading.

But what will excite Pompey fans is the ability of Mullarkey to progress the ball - both with forward passes and runs out of defence.

His ball progression comes in at 4.77m per minute - ninth overall in the division and fifth best for a right-sided central defender.

Breaking his ball progression down further, he finishes 11th (94.39m) for runs and and 12th (335.18m) for passes.

Mullarkey’s numbers underline that when it comes to aerial dominance and putting his body on the line his numbers stand up to inspection.

He returned an aerial success rate of 66.95 per cent this season across his 3,702 minutes of competitive action.

That ranks him 20th of all players in the National League, with his central defensive team-mate Kyle Ferguson leading the way with an 82.69 per cent success rate.

Mullarkey comes in eighth of all the National League’s right-sided central defender with that return.

Boling deeper down into the data, the summer target has the league’s sixth best total when it comes to the number of aerial battles won in his own box (63) - the third best total for a right-sided central defender

Looking at his success rate across the campaign in his own box, Mullarkey wins 65 per cent over those battles - 17th overall in the National League.

Likewise, the number of blocks he’s produced this term fairs pretty favourably with his total of 27 the 13th best in the fifth tier - ninth overall for a right-sided central defender.