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Exclusive:Portsmouth boss addresses surprise Josh Knight decision - and why it can boost his Fratton Park future The former Leicester City man made 14 appearances for the Blues last season after joining from Hannover 96 John Mousinho believes Josh Knight’s surprise positional switch can supply him with another weapon in the battle for a first-team spot. Amid Pompey’s congested centre-half options, the former Peterborough man has primarily been utilised at right-back during their pre-season friendly schedule, including this week’s behind-closed-doors fixture with Kuwait SC. According to Mousinho, employing the 28-year-old in a new role this summer has been a conscious decision designed to provide more versatility to the Blues’ squad. Following the departure of Jordan Williams on a season-long loan to Blackpool, it leaves Terry Devlin and Zak Swanson vying for right-back in the forthcoming campaign. However, the emergence of Knight also adds crucial cover and competition to the position - and Mousinho is convinced he wouldn’t look out of place there in the Championship. ‘We need a body out there’ Pompey’s head coach told The News: ‘Josh has done pretty well at right-back over pre-season. We have definitely looked at him there and he’s performed admirably in the games we’ve thrown him into. ‘It's not his position, but I thought he played pretty well on Wednesday (Kuwait SC) and he will be part of the squad at the weekend. ‘Josh hasn’t played there before, but we need a body out there. Sometimes a centre-back who can be really comfortable on the ball wouldn't be in that right-back position, so you have to look at positional understanding, understanding of what we want, and good athleticism. ‘He is definitely capable of doing it. He’s got on with it, he hasn’t complained, he’s played out of position in pre-season and got himself in a situation where he’s fit and done well. ‘That versatility is good to have. Swanny is a really good example, Terry is a very, very versatile player who has turned himself into a right-back, Connor Ogilvie can play left-back, he can play centre-half. ‘Josh has shown he can do a bit of both, Regan can play right-sided centre-half and has a bit of a history of right-back for Lincoln. I also think he played right wing-back at times there for them. ‘Josh had a tough season last year with injuries and was a bit unlucky. He picked up that stress fracture in his back and, by the time he got back, we couldn’t register him because of where we were with squad numbers. So we’re really expecting him to push on.’ Fifth-choice centre-half at Fratton Park Knight, who was restricted to just 14 appearances in his maiden south-coast season, is likely regarded as fifth-choice centre-half at present. Despite the departure of Ibane Bowat to Huddersfield on Wednesday, it still leaves Conor Shaughnessy, Regan Poole, Madiodio Dia and Hayden Matthews as first-team rivals for the ex-Hanover 96 man. And for Mousinho, it emphases the importance of Knight having another string to his bow. He added: ‘It's a battle for everyone. There is clearly a direction of preference I’ve probably got at the moment, but it’s very, very similar to last year if you look across the season. ‘At centre-half we used Regan, Shocks, Hayden, Jojo, Josh Knight, Connor Ogilvie, Zak Swanson and Ibane Bowat. That’s eight of them, without even moving Marlon back there as well. ‘There is competition for places and I am willing to change, I will only ever pick the 11 who I think is best suited to win the game at the weekend.’