The very best: Tottenham Hotspur, Chelsea, Arsenal and Southampton starlets - and what makes them stand apart for Portsmouth boss

The Pompey boss has been entrusted with aiding the progress of a number of highly-regarded players in his management career.

Spurs starlet Dane Scarlett undoubtedly falls into that category, with the 18-year-old making a big impact since arriving at Fratton Park this summer.

Now Cowley has selected the four standout loanees he’s worked with in his management career to date.

And the Blues head coach has described in detail what it is about those players which made them stand apart.

Trevoh Chalobah

'He’s just got this huge athleticism and is a wonderful mover.

'He taught me about the differences between a receiving a pass from the goalkeeper.

'When you ask your central defenders to split, you often see the experienced central defenders peddle into position.

'But Trevoh used to sprint to the elbow of the box, get his hips open and look down the pitch.

'He’d get his picture and he was always a step ahead, so he could see the pass and then execute the pass.

'He’s got this lovely ability to break the lines with his passing.

'At the time we had him he was still trying to develop physically and work on that side of his game.

'Now he’s had some really good loan experiences which have set him up to have the successes he’s having.'

Emile Smith Rowe

'Em was just one of those from day one really.

'From the first day we saw him train you could see it. It was like: “Look at this - this must be what top looks like."

'He just had this wonderful ability to find space, take it on the back foot and speed the play up.

'He could find space in the tightest of areas.

'Em had all this quality, but he was so unselfish and would play one touch all the time.

'He just had a really good understanding of the game.

'There were still aspects, though (to improve).

'His defending from the front wasn’t great and we had to work really hard for him in that area.

'Em was really focussed on that with us.

'The other side of the game was there, but we could see that was a bit we could add. Hopefully we were able to do that.'

Gavin Bazunu

'Gavin was just a young player with an outstanding mindset and determination to be the best he could be.

'That, of course, was in addition to all of the quality that he possesses.

'His career path reflects that and he’s done brilliantly to get to where he is.

'It’s good to see him playing in the Premier League - even if it’s a shame he chose to do it in those colours!'

Dane Scarlett

'Dane, I just love him.

'He’s got this glint in his eyes.

'You can see that in the way he plays, he got an edge - my god yes.

'He’s a really good defender, you know.

'I was saying this in a debrief to Tottenham the other day, on one of his games.

'If you could photocopy him I reckon they could have him as a right-back now, because he’s so good defensively.

'His defensive footwork is up to the ball with aggression. Even the way he marks, he’s a really good marker in the box.

'I love the fact he’s 18 with all this talent and individual quality - yet he’s so teamie.

'He’s so for the team. Normally when they are young and have been on a journey with everyone holding him such high regard - and rightly so - it may not be the case.

'Yet he’s so humble and just for the team.

'He’s tough and powerful.

'There was a moment against Burton when there was a chance he hit across the face of goal, Owen Dale could have tapped it in, but didn’t quite make the run.

'He literally left three players on the floor in the build-up to that. All three of those players went flying!

'He’s got that dynamic strength you normally see in gymnasts.

'Then there’s obviously his shooting before the keeper is set, which he delivers with a lot of power and very short backlift.

'He sees it all and moves quickly - those first two steps he’s gone. He's sharp, very sharp.'