LATEST: Portsmouth boss reveals outlook for ex-Norwich City and Swindon Town man after Bristol Rovers double leg break following ex-Aston Villa and Stoke City midfielder's lunge

The Pompey boss is hopeful the injury suffered by the midfielder against Bristol Rovers isn’t as bad as first feared.

And Cowley even thinks it could be a case of weeks rather months out for the ex-Norwich City and Swindon man, if an MRI scan on Thompson’s ankle today delivers positive news.

Thompson was on the receiving end of a lunge from former Republic of Ireland international Glenn Whelan, which led to him being hospitalised.

The fact the breaks are to the 27-year-old’s non weight-bearing bone in his leg is positive however, with Pompey hoping for upbeat news from his scan today at a facility in Winchester.

Cowley said: ‘Louis has a double fracture of the fibula, which is the non weight-bearing bone in the leg.

‘So that’s better than it being the tibia, which is the weight-bearing bone.

‘That is good news, but we don’t quite know the extent of the ankle damage.

‘The early prognosis is that there doesn’t seem to be too much damage.

‘We’ll get an MRI scan today so we can look at the tendons and ligaments to see how they’ve been affected.

‘We have our fingers crossed for sure.

‘When we first saw the incident, the way the leg looked out of shape it looked like he’d done both the tibia and fibula. That was our fear.

‘It is a double leg break, but a double break to the fibula. So we’re hopeful, as long as there isn’t too much ankle damage that it will be weeks rather than months.’

Cowley also paid tribute to the sterling work of hospital staff at the Queen Alexandra Hospital in Cosham, where Thompson received his treatment after being taken from Fratton Park by ambulance.

He added: ‘I know Louis wanted me to mention the brilliant work of the people at the Queen Alexandra Hospital.

‘The nurses and doctors there are real-life superheroes and we are just so thankful for how they looked after Louis, so we just want to send our love out to them.’