Mous: Making decision over Whyte simple

John Mousinho admitted it will be simple for him to make a decision over whether to sign Gavin Whyte this summer.

The Pompey boss believes his close-quarters knowledge of the Northern Ireland winger will be an asset, when it comes to a call over trying to bring him to Fratton Park.

Mousinho is keen on the 27-year-old international, who this week announced he is leaving Championship side Cardiff.

The pair are well acquainted from their time spent together at Oxford, with Whyte joining from Crusaders in 2018 – and returning to the Kassam Stadium on loan twoand-a-half years ago.

The head coach feels that knowledge makes the process of making a move for the former Hull man an easier verdict to reach.

Mousinho said: ‘I know him and I’ve played with him for a couple of seasons. I knew him when he first came over as a young lad from Northern Ireland and then he came back on loan last season.

‘I do know him really well, so maybe it’s more of a straightforward one.

‘With the other players there’s a lot more work which goes into them.

‘That’s not to say there’s not a lot of work going into Gav, but it’s quite an easy one in terms of saying “I don’t think it’s an option, or it is an option”.

‘When I have played with players that recently it means I know everything about his character, it’s maybe more straightforward to see if it’s of interest or not.’

Whyte’s move to Oxford when Mousinho was present is a clear example of why the Pompey boss is keeping tabs on the Irish market this summer.

He felt the Belfast-born talent brought a drive he would feels could be replicated in taking current young talent from across the Irish Sea.