Tantalising attributes which convinced Cowley to snap up winger Jayden Reid
JAYDEN REID possesses the raw attributes to become a footballing force.
That’s the verdict of Danny Cowley, who pinpoints the youngster’s pace, movement and finishing as winning ingredients.
The 20-year-old triallist was elevated to a Pompey contract on Monday having impressed during his pre-season with the Blues.
Reid spent time in League Two with Barrow and Walsall last year after being loaned out by parent club Birmingham.
However, those spells yielded a disappointing tally of just three league starts, while he was subsequently released from St Andrew’s at the season’s end.
Now he has been snapped up by Cowley on a one-year deal with a 12-month club option.
And Pompey’s head coach has high hopes for the right-footed winger.
He told The News: ‘Jayden is a boy that has come in on trial, he’s a young player.
‘It’s really important for us. We didn’t take any scholars this year, we have Haji and signed
Liam Vincent and want four young ones we can really develop and work with.
‘Jayden has really good movement, he wants to penetrate, he wants to go short to long, he wants to make runs which disrupt the opponent’s defensive line. You see a lot of attacking players that come to the ball all the time.
‘And he can finish. If you have pace, good movement and finishing then you’ve got a chance.
‘I see wide left as his best moment, although he can play off a link player down the middle of the pitch.
‘Jayden’s got work to do, definitely. We have to try to work on his ability to go on the outside and cross with his left foot.’
Cowley has previously spoken of his ‘project’ involving developing four young players in the absence of further Academy graduates.
Haji Mnoga and Liam Vincent represent that group, with Reid now joining them.
Certainly in the case of Mnoga and Vincent, Pompey’s boss is keen to loan them out for experience.
And Reid could also be considered for such a development pathway.
Cowley added: ‘We are really open minded with all of our young players and whether to loan them out.
‘We want to try to give them an outstanding coaching provision and we want to give them a really demanding games programme, because that’s how they develop.
‘Whether that’s with us or somewhere else, time will tell.’