'Devastated' - John Mousinho confirms Pompey injury setback as fresh return timeline emerges
John Mousinho delivered the bad news in Pompey’s pre-match press conference ahead of their trip to Blackburn Rovers.
Pompey defender Conor Shaughnessy has suffered a setback during his recovery from injury.
The 28-year-old has been limited to just two appearances this term and hasn't played since mid-August. He was due to play against Sheffield United at the end of September, but was withdrawn from the side before kick-off.
Before the international break, it was hoped that Shaughnessy might have been in contention for the game against Blackburn Rovers. Pompey were waiting to see how Shaughnessy would come through the next few weeks but remained cautious as they didn't want to rush him back too soon.
A problematic calf issue has been the reason for Shaughnessy's absence, and now he has suffered an injury on his other leg. A time frame of six weeks has been given for his return which rules him out until the new year.
“Unfortunately Conor has had another setback,” Mousinho said.
“We’re looking at another six weeks for Conor.
“He was back outside doing straight line running but he felt his other calf. He had a scan and it turns out there is a tear in the other calf. It’s new or it’s definitely new.
“There’s a bit of head scratching as to how that has been done and how it has happened. Everybody is frustrated and devastated for Conor in particular and the team because of how pivotal he is to our success.
“I’m not really sure how it’s happened, and it’s one of those where we are having a look at things from every single angle. We’re trying to figure it out, sometimes these things happen with muscular injuries.
“You can research as much as you want, but you can’t find the answer. A really frustrating one for us but we still need to make sure Conor gets back nice and fit.”
Shaughnessy was a key member of Pompey's title winning campaign last season and missed just one league match last term. His absence across the back line has been felt a Pompey have conceded the most goals out of any teams in the Championship, having let in 28 goals from their opening 15 games.
Defence is an area where Pompey have been dealt a lot of damage. In September summer signing Ibane Bowat was ruled out for the remainder of the season, despite having not made his debut. Regan Poole however returned to action following a lengthy lay off from an ACL injury.