Pompey boss Cowley hails signing of Town's former Manchester United midfielder Tunnicliffe

Ryan Tunnicliffe during his time with the Hatters

Portsmouth boss Danny Cowley was thrilled to complete the signing of Luton Town midfielder Ryan Tunnicliffe on a free transfer yesterday.

The 28-year-old turned down a new contract at Kenilworth Road to agree a two year deal with Pompey, including the option for a further 12 months.

Tunnicliffe made 68 appearances in two seasons for the Hatters, scoring three times, as speaking to the club website, Cowley said: "Ryan had a good footballing education at Manchester United and has spent the past eight seasons playing regularly in the Championship.

“We want to be a team that performs with a real energy and high intensity – those qualities are really important to us.

“He’s an attacking, technical midfielder who plays with his head up, has fantastic penetration and is really progressive with his passing.

“There’s the ability to play clever reverse and slide-rule balls, so I’m sure our attackers will benefit from his vision.

“We see real grit, determination and dynamism in him. He’s incredibly athletic and also deceptively quick.

"We’ve had to fight off Championship clubs, but he really brought into the project that we have here at Pompey.

“Ryan has played with Shaun Williams before at Millwall, which I think helped him make the decision.

“He is certainly someone who we feel can help when we’re trying to break sides down and we’re looking forward to working with him.”