  We use a coalescence model to generate $f_{0}$(980) particles for four
configurations: ${s\bar{s}}$ meson, ${u\bar{u}s\bar{s}}$ tetraquark,
${K^{+}K^{-}}$ molecule and $u\bar{u}$ p-wave state. The phase-space
information of the coalescing constituents is taken from a multi-phase
transport (AMPT) simulation of proton-proton and proton-lead collisions at the
LHC. It is shown that the transverse momentum spectra and production yields of
$f_0(980)$ differ significantly among the configurations. It is suggested that
the $p_T$ spectra of the $f_0(980)$ compared to those of other hadrons (such as
pion) and the ratio of the $f_0(980)$ $p_T$ spectra in pPb over pp can be
exploited to tell the configuration of the $f_0(980)$.
