Pompey teenager provides injury update from hospital bed after ACL injury ends season

Josh Dockerill has provided Pompey fans with an update on his progress after suffering a serious knee injury in pre-season.The teenage defender damaged his anterior cruciate ligament along with a meniscus tear during Pompey’s pre-season match with Gosport at The Aerial Direct Stadium in July.

The highly-rated youngster damaged his anterior cruciate ligament, along with a meniscus tear, in his right knee during the Blues’ friendly match with Gosport last month. It was a major blow for a player who had been keen to make an impression on head coach John Mousinho this summer.

It was a major blow for a player who had been keen to make an impression to head coach John Mousinho this summer having returned from a loan spell at Bognor.

A month has passed since the incident, and now the 18-year-old has now shared with the supporters that he underwent surgery on Thursday as he begins his road to recovery. 

’Operation went well, road to recovery once again…,” said Dockerill, who posted of a picture of himself in a hospital bed on his Instagram story.

The extent of his injury means that Dockerill is unlikely to play a match in the entire 2023/24 campaign, but the Blues have been keen to support him, and have kept him in good spirits.

He penned his first professional contract at the club last Saturday on the pitch at Fratton Park, and was congratulated by club captain Marlon Pack and Conor Shaughnessy amongst others.

Last month, Mousinho said to The News: ‘Hopefully things will work out long-term, we’ll keep supporting him and try to get him back as fit as soon as possible. ‘Josh will most likely miss the season. If we can get him back fit towards the end of the campaign it would be a decent result.’

The young defender had been set to go out on loan, with several clubs in the local area keen to offer him valuable first-team experience.

He had been set to go out on loan, with several clubs in the local area keen to offer him valuable first-team experience