Northern Ireland international Gavin Whyte linked with League One move and their manager is a huge fan

The former Irish League star joined the Welsh club from Oxford United in 2019 and made 14 appearances this season, but only started three times and struggled for consistent opportunities in the Championship as Cardiff narrowly avoided relegation.

He also enjoyed loan spells with Oxford and Hull City and he could now be set to link back up with a familiar face in League One.

John Mousinho, who is manager at Portsmouth, played with Whyte following his move to England from Crusaders, where the winger won three Premiership titles and was named Player of the Year in 2017/18 after scoring 21 league goals.

In a recent interview, Mousinho revealed his admiration for the Northern Ireland international, fuelling rumours of a potential summer move.

“I think it's a natural link because I've played with Gavin and he's out of contract,” he told The News.

“He's certainly a player I know very well, An excellent player. He's probably not had the last couple of seasons that he would have liked to have had but he's a really excellent player. I think he would be an excellent addition to any squad.

“Obviously, at this stage, I think if you're talking about Gavin Whyte being a possibility then it's certainly not something that I would like to dismiss.

"I think Gavin's best playing as a winger, so wide on the right. He's an old-school winger, he's got pace, he's got an ability to take players on and come up with quite a few assists.

“When he first came over from Northern Ireland, that's what he was like. He was really raw, really hungry and provided a huge outlet for that Oxford side.

“We see him as a right-winger.”

Portsmouth was also rumoured to be a potential summer location for Larne striker Lee Bonis, but Mousinho denied those claims.

“I read that – and I genuinely haven’t seen anything of Lee,” he said.

“Sometimes it’s good to pick up the Portsmouth News, then I can go on to Wyscout and have a little look at these players!

"That’s something I will do, but there’s nothing on that one from our end – and I’m not sure where it’s come from.”