Portsmouth boss pencils in date of Conor Shaughnessy’s injury return as Norwich City and Watford lie in wait

But John Mousinho is adamant the League One title winner won’t be fit enough to feature ahead of this weekend’s Easter games against Norwich City and Watford.

The 28-year-old has been out since February 11 after sustaining a hamstring injury during the 2-1 win over relegation rivals Cardiff at Fratton Park.

It was a major blow for Shaughnessy, who was once again sidelined after missing more than five months due an ongoing calf issue.

His set-back against the Bluebirds came just four games after completing a much-anticipated comeback and was given a time frame of 6-8 weeks before he would be able to return.

Mousinho has now revealed the former Leeds and Burton man is back in training ahead of the Good Friday contest against Norwich City.

Although there was initial hope Shaughnessy could be ready for the trip to Carrow Road, the head coach now believes the game will come too soon for the centre-back.

And the Pompey boss has now pencilled in Shaughnessy’s comeback for the penultimate game of the season against Sheffield Wednesday next week.

Speaking in his pre-match press conference, Mousinho told The News: ‘We’re probably at Sheffield Wednesday with Shocks. Again, he’s come back well but he’s only had two training sessions so I don’t think it’s fair for Conor.

‘Conor’s got a different injury record this season to most, as well having hardly featured and having picked up soft tissue injuries. With Shocks, I don’t think we’ll see him until Sheffield Wednesday and even then it will be for a short period of time - maybe 10-15 minutes.’

Pompey injury update ahead of Norwich City trip

There was a notable absentee for the 2-2 draw against Derby County on Saturday, with Thomas Waddingham missing from the squad.

It came just days after the promising striker was handed his full Blues debut against Coventry, where made his first start since his January switch from Brisbane Roar.

Waddingham then suffered a hamstring issue which kept him out of the Derby draw, with the situation expected to become clearer today.

Mousinho added: Tom’s having a scan today so we will get the results of them this afternoon.’

Meanwhile, Alexander Milosevic’s Fratton Park career looks to be over before its even begun. Following the defeat to Coventry, Mousinho revealed the centre-back had sustained a calf injury and would likely sideline him for the rest of the season.

That remains the case going into the final four games of the campaign for the 33-year-old, who hasn’t featured since his free-transfer arrival in March.

Mousinho added: ‘Alex has got a tear in the calf. It’s not too severe but with two weeks left of the season after this weekend, by the time we get him back training it’s unlikely that we’ll see him this season but you never know. We’ll see.’

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