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‘Into deep end’: Portsmouth teen star emerges as contender for QPR Championship opener Pompey have turned to the 18-year-old amid attacking injuries - and the New Zealand international now looks a serious consideration to start in this weekend’s Championship opener. Luke Brooke-Smith has emerged as a genuine starting contender after offering an insight into a bright Pompey future. Blues boss John Mousinho lauded the teenager, who made a positive impact on his competitive bow in the Carabao Cup at West Ham. Mousinho: ‘The future is really bright for Luke’ Mousinho acknowledged he’s turned to the winger far earlier than expected, as his shorn of attacking options at the start of the season. But the head coach has been delighted by the way the 18-year-old has risen to that challenge, less than two weeks on from his arrival at PO4. Brooke-Smith produced an effective display as he took on a steep leaning curve, with a start against the relegated Premier League side on Saturday. The arrival from Wellington Phoenix showcased some direct running and had plenty of success against high-calibre opposition, before being withdrawn in the 52nd minute. It’s food for thought for Mousinho, as attention now turns to the Championship opener against QPR at Fratton Park on Saturday. Abu Kamara’s return boosts Pompey going forward, though the returning League One title winner largely operates down the right flank. Brooke-Smith, however, is now a genuine contender to star the league opener down the left wing. Mousinho said: ‘I think if you take in the context of what we’re asking of Luke he did a really good job. ‘He’s been in the country for two weeks and he’s only just turned 18 - he turned 18 in June. ‘He’s not started many games at all and we chucked him right into the deep end against a high quality level of opposition. ‘I thought he did really well and I think he showed some really good glimpses. ‘That showed that the future is really bright for Luke. ‘We’re in a position now where he’s ultimately a project for the next two or three years. ‘We’ve had to use him a little bit earlier than expected in that way, but I thought he did really in that situation.’ The picture over Brooke-Smith appears to be evolving all the time, given Mousinho’s plan over the New Zealand international is clearly to give him time to adapt to his new surroundings. That may be the case in the bigger picture, but there’s also the need to negotiate the current absences of the likes of Josh Murphy, Keshi Anderson, Franco Umeh and Harvey Blair at the season’s outset. Mousinho told The News last week: ‘Luke has started a handful of games in the A-League and only just turned 18. As you can probably imagine, he’s had a busy summer with a lot of speculation around the transfer, not just for us but there were other clubs involved as well. ‘So he’s not been at it in terms of the levels of fitness and levels of training which maybe some of the players have, but I thought he did well against Darmstadt for his first time out in a Pompey shirt against good opposition. ‘We aren’t looking to loan him out. We brought him in to be a development project, but also someone who we think can affect the squad. He's also our only fit left winger at the moment ‘If Luke’s good enough to play, he'll play. Probably the way I would envisage it this season is he’ll have an impact off the bench, but be around the first-team because I think he has the attributes to affect the Championship this year.’