Portsmouth boss' challenge to popular title-winner after low-key Championship entrance

The Northern Ireland international has featured in all Pompey’s league fixtures so far, starting four of their five matches.

Yet the Blues’ head coach is adamant the talented Lane must improve his attacking output as he adapts to new surroundings.

The 23-year-old was a major creative force in Pompey’s League One title success, which included 12 goals in the most prolific campaign of his career to date.

But Mousinho acknowledges the winger must raise his levels if he wants to be a force in the Championship.

He told The News: ‘I think it has been an adjustment for players like Paddy.

‘He had one of his better performances at the weekend, especially in the first half, he looked really sharp coming inside off the right.

‘The moments that Paddy needs to improve are now when he is faced up against the full-back and whether he beats him for pace down the outside or a bit more trickery inside. Those are the sides of his game he needs to develop and keep working on as we go through the season.

‘Paddy is a very, very honest young lad, always works his socks off, is brilliant for the team, and a big part of his game last year was the end product he had with the assists and goals. He needs to add that this season.

‘When you have the goal and assist return he did last year, when you come into this league and step up a level that’s a real challenge for all of us. We have to make sure we create a lot more and score a lot more.

‘Certainly for Paddy that’s something we are going to keep asking more of.’

Lane was required to perform long spells of defensive work during Pompey’s two Championship matches on their travels this season in draws with Leeds and Middlesbrough.

But for Saturday’s trip to Burnley, Mousinho is calling on his wingers to be more ‘progressive’.

He added: ‘In some of those away games we’ve been sat very deep and we’ve asked the wide men to really do a job on wingers and full-backs.

‘We probably want to be slightly more progressive as we go forward now. We think we’ve got personnel and fitness into the side, so wingers operating a bit higher up the pitch should suit Paddy.

‘It really suited Murphy at the weekend and suited Paddy to a certain extent as well. That’s something which is going to help as we go forward.’