GAVIN BAZUNU IS to spend another season cutting his teeth in League One after Portsmouth announced the signing of the Manchester City goalkeeper on a season-long loan.

Bazunu made 32 appearances last season for Rochdale, with his performances deemed worthy of an international debut by Republic of Ireland manager Stephen Kenny for last March’s World Cup qualifier against Luxembourg.

The 19-year-old Dubliner, who has now won four senior caps, has yet to play for Manchester City at first-team level but he was rewarded last August with a new contract that commits him to the Premier League champions until 2024.

Portsmouth manager Danny Cowley described Bazunu as one of the best young goalkeepers in Europe, and said Championship clubs also expressed interest in signing Bazunu. 

“We’re delighted to sign Gavin, who we believe is one of the best young goalkeepers in Europe. His presence comes from his speed around the box, how well he covers his area and the fact he’s incredibly brave.

“He has outstanding distribution and will have benefitted tremendously from his loan spell with Rochdale. Last season he was probably the busiest keeper in League One – he made the most saves in the division.

“We had to work really hard to make this deal happen as there was also interest from the Championship. But we presented to the Manchester City goalkeeping coach and are delighted to make the move possible because he fits our game idea and the way we want the team to play.”

Bazunu is the second Irish international to join Portsmouth this summer after the Fratton Park outfit completed the signing of veteran midfielder Shaun Williams last month.

Pompey, who also have Ireland winger Ronan Curtis in their ranks, finished eighth in League One last season, missing out on a play-off place by two points.