Portsmouth boss confirms fate of Sunderland loanee after Sheffield Wednesday absence
John Mousinho has confirmed Adil Aouchiche won’t play for Pompey again this season.
The Sunderland loanee wasn’t part of the 20-man squad for Saturday afternoon’s 1-1 draw against Sheffield Wednesday.
The Blues boss made five changes to the side who beat Watford on Easter Monday, with their Championship safety already wrapped up.
This included surprise starts for Harvey Blair and a debut for Ben Killip, while Andre Dozzell was deployed in an attacking midfield role in place of Aouchiche at Hillsborough.
It comes just days after Mousinho revealed his uncertainty over the 22-year-old’s availability for the final two games of the campaign after he suffered a wrist injury against Norwich City on Good Friday.
The fracture forced the January arrival to be withdrawn in the 85th minute of the frenetic 5-3 triumph, which the head coach admitted was his best since his loan move from the Stadium of Light.
Although, Aouchiche started Monday’s 1-0 victory against Watford, he was taken off at half-time after struggling with his wrist issue.
And that injury will now mean the Sunderland man will miss the final game of the season against Hull City next Saturday,
Speaking to The News after the Blues’ draw against the Owls, Mousinho confirmed the midfielder’s fate: ‘No, he has a fractured bone in his hand, we won’t see him again, there is no point in risking him.
‘He’s not gone back, he’s been in getting his treatment here, we’ll see what happens next week.’
Adil Aouchiche’s loan spell at Pompey
Aouchiche joined Pompey late in the January transfer window as Mousinho added much-needed Championship quality into his squad.
Since then, the 22-year-old has featured 12 times for the Blues and filled the void left by Callum Lang, who sustained a hamstring injury against Oxford United on February 15.
This has seen the Frenchman deployed through the middle and on the right-hand side and was named in the starting XI on nine occasions.
Aouchiche’s only goal in a Blues shirt came in spectacular fashion when he netted a late consolation against Plymouth on March 12. He registered one assist, setting up Regan Poole for the fifth and final goal in the 5-3 triumph against Norwich.
The former PSG youngster will now return to the Stadium of Light with more game time having struggled to break into Regis Le Bris side earlier in the campaign.
Prior to his January loan move to PO4, the midfielder amassed 10 appearances for the Black Cats in the first half of the season - five of which came from the start.
Aouchiche still has three years remaining on his current Sunderland deal and has made 38 outings in two seasons in the North East.