Portsmouth boss details Callum Lang outlook after worrying injury blow to key figure at Oxford United

And the Blues boss believes his side’s easing Championship schedule gives the key man a chance to recover, after being forced off at the Kassam Stadium.

Pompey grafted their way to a big 2-0 win over the U’s to pick up back-to-back wins, as their form accelerates at a crucial moment in the season.

The one big negative was Lang being forced off in the 67th minute, as he attempted to break down the right flank.

Mousinho this afternoon gave an early update on the extent of the injury - and is hopeful it won’t be an extensive lay-off for the Scouser.

The head coach used Conor Shaughnessy as a yardstick, with it confirmed today the defender is looking at six-to-eight weeks out with the same problem, picked up against Cardiff in Tuesday.

Mousinho indicated he doesn’t expect Lang’s problem to rule him out for as long, though a scan will be required to provide more detail on the extent of the issue.

He said: ‘It’s a hamstring issue and there’s going to be a bit of time out.

‘But when you compare Langy (Callum Lang) to Shaughs (Shaughnessy), Shaughs was really struggling to move when he came off but Langy’s had a shower and he’s walking okay - not freely but okay.

‘It looks a lot better outlook and we know how important Langy is, so hopefully that’s okay.’

Pompey now are entering a period without any mid-week games, with their next commitment in that area not until when Plymouth arrive at Fratton Park on March 11.

Mousinho feels a less intense schedule is also beneficial when it comes to the games Lang will miss out on.

He said: ‘We’ve got a free week, a free week after that and a free week after that - so that gives it a bit of time for it to settle down.’