Portsmouth boss Danny Cowley hopes to extract 'top-end ability' from Louis Thompson after signing the midfielder following a mutual agreement to end his Norwich City contract early.

The 26-year-old had been on trial with Pompey during pre-season and has done enough to earn a one-year deal, with the League One club having the option for a further 12 months.

Reports had suggested Thompson's former club Swindon were also keen to sign him but he will be staying at Fratton Park. He left Norwich last month with a year remaining on his contract, which included the option to extend until 2023.

“He’s a very talented and athletic player, with real power and he’s also a handful technically," Cowley told Portsmouth's official website.

“I think it’s been a tough time for him in terms of injuries over the last few years and he hasn’t been able to find any fluency.

“But we’ve done well with those players in the past and have been able to find a way to manage them intelligently and find the right training programme."

Thompson was signed from Swindon in 2014 after impressing in central midfield as a youngster but remained with the Robins on loan for much of the next two seasons.

Three campaigns of injury problems led to League One spells with Shrewsbury and MK Dons, which were also disrupted by injuries, which led to an agreement to part ways with City after just 14 appearances.

With that in mind, Pompey have given Thompson - who has previously trained with the Wales squad - a contract that is built around the number of appearances he can manage.

“Louis is one of those players who would not actually have been available to us if it hadn’t been for his injury history," Cowley continued.

“We’ve given him a contract that is performance-based and know that if we can get him into a rhythm, then he’s got top-end ability.

“We’re confident that he can be a really good signing for us if we can get him out on the grass on a regular basis.

“There are a few things we can tweak that can hopefully help him moving forwards. We feel we can be a good fit together.”

The former Lincoln and Huddersfield boss took over from Kenny Jackett towards the end of last season but the 2008 FA Cup winners missed out on the play-offs and are preparing for their 10th season below the Championship.

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