League One side Portsmouth have taken 26-year-old midfielder Louis Thompson on trial according to The News, after having his contract at Norwich City cancelled last week.
The former Canary joined Carrow Road from Swindon Town back in 2014 for a £1.3m deal but after going out on several loan spells to the Robins, Shrewsbury Town and MK Dons, he failed to make a sustained first-team breakthrough in Norfolk.
In his seven-year spell with the newly-promoted Premier League outfit, he made just 16 senior appearances and had his contract mutually terminated last week, despite the 26-year-old previously having one year left on his deal.
This has allowed Pompey manager Danny Cowley to bring the midfielder in and assess him with a view to a permanent deal if he impresses in the coming days and weeks.
With just over a week to go until the new EFL season, the south-coast side will be keen to bring in as many reinforcements as possible and central midfield is an area they will want to continue to address, even with Ryan Tunnicliffe and Shaun Williams already joining the club this summer.
Tom Naylor, Bryn Morris, Ben Close and Andy Cannon's departures in the summer have made this central midfield rebuild a necessity - and as they look set to miss out on Millwall midfielder and namesake Ben Thompson as he remains at Millwall - the 26-year-old will get his chance to shine ahead of the new season.
Akin Odmiayo's departure from Fratton Park without receiving a contract should be a warning to the 26-year-old if he already thinks he's got a Portsmouth deal in the bag.
However, the midfielder is likely to be going the extra mile as he aims to make a fresh start - and Portsmouth may be the destination where he could thrive.
The Verdict:
After impressing at Swindon Town when he was a teenager, his failure to push on must be a major disappointment but there's one bit of good news for him: he's only 26 and can still have a successful career in England.
One thing that prevented him from being successful with Norwich City was his injuries - and this is why Danny Cowley is wise to take him on trial before deciding whether to offer him a deal or not.
The south-coast club have already seen one of their summer signings in Jayden Reid rupture his cruciate ligament and with the season fast approaching, Cowley will want as many available players as possible for their opening league fixture against Fleetwood Town.
This may have tempted the club to offer him a deal straight away, but they need to remain patient and bring in the right players to make a sustained push for promotion. If he can stay fit though, he would provide good competition in the middle of the park.