Tony Adams has likened new Portsmouth hero Jermain Defoe to his old Arsenal team-mate Ian Wright - and believes the Tottenham reject has the talent to spearhead the side's attack attack on his own.
Pompey assistant manager Adams led the Gunners side in which Wright set a scoring record of over 180 goals which, although since surpassed by Thierry Henry, also made him a true Highbury hero.
Portsmouth manager Harry Redknapp sacrificed 12-goal Benjani Mwaruwari to buy Defoe in January, selling the Zimbabwe ace to Manchester City, tomorrow's opponents at Eastlands.
Defoe - ineligible to play in the FA Cup - has scored eight goals in eight league games for which he is an automatic selection.
So far Redknapp has always provided him with a partner up front even though it has meant shelving the the 4-5-1 formation which has proved so successful.
But Adams insists: "I don't see why Jermain could not play that position up there on his own. He is certainly good enough.
"He is similar to Ian Wright in that respect. I know he is one of Jermain's heroes, but Wrighty also thrived alongside another top-class striker at Arsenal in Dennis Bergkamp.
"I'm not totally sure the lone striker role would get the very best out of Jermain but if it complements the rest of the side then some time we have got to look at it."
Adams is still weighing up whether to stay on for another season - his third - as number two at Fratton Park or make a new move into management but he is happy with the progress made by the FA Cup finalists who can also qualify for the UEFA Cup by finishing fifth in the league.
He said: "We're on 57 points now, which is a tremendous effort.
"We can get to 69 by the end of the season, which still might not be enough for fifth but we cannot ask the players for any more.
"Defensively, there has been a massive improvement. The goalkeeper (David James) has played every game and there is a familiarity among the defenders now.
"Players are playing in their rightful positions and when there is that understanding with your partners, it really helps.
"We have defended superbly as a team all season and we went out from the start to make ourselves difficult to beat.
"Sol Campbell has had another outstanding season for us and is a big reason behind what we've achieved so far.
"We've kept him going at times when we might have liked to rest him, but he and Sylvain Distin who has also had a fantastic season, complement each other very well."
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