Portsmouth manager Danny Cowley says he wants to add two regular international players to his squad in what remains of the summer transfer window.

Pompey's on loan Manchester City goalkeeper Gavin Bazunu established himself in the senior Republic of Ireland international setup this year.

Winger Ronan Curtis is also a regular for the Republic of Ireland, meaning Portsmouth have two players on their books who they would expect to be without for international breaks next season.

But with League One rules stipulating that a club must have three players away on international duty for a match to be postponed, it seems Cowley is keen to add more internationals to his squad, in order to avoid playing certain games without some of his key players next season.

Speaking about the issue, Cowley told Hampshire Live: “It would be very intelligent for us as a club to get to a place where we had four international players.

“You don’t want to lose any key players during the international break which you can do if you don’t have more than three.

“If we were to have four constantly in their international countries, that would give us an opportunity to rearrange those fixtures in those breaks, and then we can train really hard until those breaks, freshen the group up and go again.

“That is certainly something that if possible, we would like to do. We have obviously got Marcus Harness who is another boy who has been in and around the Ireland team as well so it’s exciting.”

Harness was also called up to the Republic of Ireland squad last season, but has yet to make an international appearance at any age level.

So far this summer, Portsmouth have completed the signings of no fewer than five senior players, including the aforementioned Bazunu.

The Verdict

This would certainly be a smart move from Portsmouth you feel.

Curtis has already proven to be a hugely important player for the club, while Bazunu is also likely to be a useful asset for them next season.

As a result, they will want to have them available as often as possible, so bringing in two more internationals then they do not have to play during international breaks would be a bit of an intuitive move.

Indeed, it is also worth noting that if a someone is playing regularly for his country, then he is likely to be a rather decent player himself, who may be able to make their own positive impact for Portsmouth, meaning there would be more than one advantage to getting this sort of business done for Cowley.