'Years ago he was a real hot property': Portsmouth boss on reigniting career of former Chelsea, Spurs and Manchester United target

And Pompey’s boss wants summer signing Jack Sparkes to provide him with a left-back conundrum.

Connor Ogilvie has already seen off Lee Brown and Denver Hume during his two Fratton Park campaigns.

Now he’s challenged with the threat of Sparkes, once coveted by Manchester United, Spurs and Chelsea as a schoolboy before racking up 150 outings for Exeter.

It promises to be an intriguing battle, with both full-backs offering contrasting styles and abilities – and Mousinho is excited by the first-team fight which lies ahead.

He told The News: ‘I see it as a really interesting battle.

‘They are contrasting left-backs and that’s a good balance to have in these positions. It gives us the option, even if it’s not based on form, to chop and change as we see things tactically.

‘Connor probably has a bit of an advantage because he played 50 games last season and was one of our outstanding performers, particularly towards the back end of the campaign.

‘With Jack, we were surprised Exeter didn’t offer him a contract in the end, I thought it was our gain. Certainly Jack Sparkes a year ago was a real hot property.

‘I think he still had a half-decent season last year, but we want to get him back to the heights he hit at the back end of the 2021-22 season, when Exeter won promotion – and there’s plenty of promise still there.

‘Jack is naturally a very attacking full-back and, by his own admission when I spoke to him initially, defensively is where he wants to get better.

‘He has been playing as a left wing-back and he must really work on what it’s like to be a left-back without three centre-halves behind him, with a different formation and more discipline required.

‘We will definitely keep working on and improving him, because there’s plenty of scope in his defensive work and how solid and competitive he is.

‘Whereas Connor is one of the most solid left-backs in the league.’

Curiously, Ogilvie was Pompey’s joint-second top scorer in League One last season, netting five times along with Marlon Pack.

Although only one of those arrived in his 22 appearances under Mousinho, following the head coach’s January arrival.

Mousinho added: ‘I know the Wycombe game might have seemed like a bit of an outlier, but we were really trying to get Connor into those positions during the last few matches especially.

‘We want him a lot more attacking, he can be a real goal threat at the back post. His only goal for me was at MK Dons, but he’s a good finisher and very good in the air.

‘Connor knows he should have had a hat-trick against Wycombe and I think he really enjoyed that. Now we’re trying to add to his fitness so he can get up and down.

‘If Connor can add that going forward to his game and Jack can add things defensively to his, then we’re in a good position.’