What Portsmouth boss Danny Cowley said about on-loan Spurs youngster Dane Scarlett that will have Fratton Park fans excited about season ahead

The Blues boss said the on-loan Spurs youngster will get even better as the season progresses following an impressive full league debut against Cheltenham on Saturday.

Pompey’s ability to land the exciting Tottenham talent last month on a season-long loan was deemed a huge coup, with the England under-19 international highly-rated by the Premier League club.

The 18-year-old has already made 10 appearances for the north London outfit but was granted permission to move to Fratton Park this summer to help his development.

To date, the striker has featured in all four games for the unbeaten Blues, starting for the first time against Cardiff in the Carabao Cup and following that up with an appearance on the team sheet at Whaddon Road.

His impressive partnership with Colby Bishop helped steer Pompey to a 2-0 win over the Robins – their first league win of the season.

And while, his forward partner received all the post-match plaudits following his double, Scarlett’s performance also stood out as he proved a step above what Blues fans have been used with in recent seasons.

The only thing that was missing from his game was a goal, which would have been fully deserved before being replaced by Joe Pigott on 67 minutes.

Yet that didn’t impact Cowley’s assessment of the youngster.

The Pompey boss believes Scarlett has a big future ahead of him – and the Blues will benefit from that this season.

Hailing his latest performance, Cowley told The News: ‘He plays like two players, the way he plays.

'I never seen a boy so young who plays, not just with an intensity in the press but with an intelligence in his press.

'He just knows the angles, knows when to run, knows when to stay, and the way he cuts off the space for the defender.

'He's a real handful.

'I think he's on a journey.

'He just such a lovely, humble boy and he's going to be up there.

'You have to remember, this is the first time he's played senior league football.

'He had a taste of some cup games with Tottenham but with the games for us coming thick and fast, he's going to grow and develop during this period for sure.’

Scarlett’s inclusion in the starting XI at Whaddon Road saw fellow loanee Pigott drop to the bench.

His pairing with Bishop was only the second time they have played together.

However, Cowley was impressed with what he saw.

'I thought they were really good. I think they can be a really good partnership,’ said the manager.

'I thought Colby led the line brilliantly.

'He was a real handful and carried such a goal threat, while Dane just has such an energy and intensity about him.

'Whether it's pressing and getting in defenders' faces and disrupting their rhythm, or whether it's running off the back of them and getting in behind.

'It's a partnership that looks good for us and, like I've said before, we know we're not going to be good in numbers but we need to make sure that the numbers that we do have all contribute and we have real trust in them.

'With the amount of games we have, we need specific people for the way we want to play and need to be able to keep it fresh.’