What Portsmouth have in common with Wigan Athletic, Sunderland, Hull City and other clubs promoted from League One in recent seasons

And the left-back is adamant the group is much stronger than when he arrived in January from Sunderland, as Danny Cowley’s men seek promotion this term.

Hume will be an interested observer as Cowley puts the finishing touches to his squad, ahead of the close to the summer transfer window.

The 24-year-old, who made his return to the fray against Crawley in the Papa John’s Trophy, is adamant there are now layers to the first-team group to sustain a Championship push.

Hume said: ‘I’ll have a little look at what’s happening (at the end of the window), because it’s always interesting.

‘There will be those last-minute moves.

‘Once that’s done we know we have that squad until at least January.

‘We’ve pretty much got at least two players in every position, which is really important in this league.

‘If you look at teams who get promoted from this league they have that squad depth and quality.

‘Looking at the squad now we’re in a good place and it’s just about progressing, building those new relationships and if we do that we’ll be in a good place.’

It’s been a whirlwind period for Hume, as a strong start after moving to the other end of the country was followed by a lengthy spell in the treatment room.

But the £200,000 signing is encouraged about what lies ahead this season - and the improvement in the Pompey squad is a big factor behind that optimism.

He added: ‘It’s a really strong squad - definitely stronger than when I signed in January.

‘That’s what you need if you’re going to have a real push for promotion.

‘We’ve got a lot of good players in, but also good lads as well.

‘The mood around the camp is good, especially with the start to the season we’ve had.

‘Everyone is driving each other on to achieve what we want, which is obviously promotion.

‘The all-round squad is better. There’s more numbers, more depth and more quality.

‘That’s very important in this league because there’s a lot of games and it’s a long season.

‘The boys who came in, there’s quite a lot of them playing in the team and they’ve done well.

‘They’ve been integrated into the group well.

‘If we can keep integrating them while the others who aren’t in the team are pushing, it can only bode well for us.’