Portsmouth boss John Mousinho explains Josh Murphy's absence v Sheffield Wednesday and reveals when winger will be back
Injuries are already starting to mount up for Pompey this season
John Mousinho has confirmed Josh Murphy missed Pompey’s 2-0 Fratton Park defeat to Sheffield Wednesday because of an ankle injury.
But the Blues boss admitted it was not a long-term problem that would keep the winger sidelined for a significant period. Instead, next weekend’s trip to Ipswich Town has already been earmarked for the 30-year-old’s return.
That will come as a relief to Pompey, who struggled without last season’s player of the year against an Owls side you hadn’t recorded a league win prior to Saturday’s visit to the south coast.
Indeed, the Blues looked toothless without their main attacking threat and could offer no excuses for their poor performance against Henrik Petersen’s side.
Yet, while the Blues have Murphy’s immediate return to look forward to, the same cannot be said for Conor Shaughnessy, who looks set for a sustained period on the sidelines after he suffered a hamstring injury in the second half against Wednesday.
Meanwhile, the quad injury picked up by striker Thomas Waddingham in training prior to the Southampton game will keep him out of action for up to 12 weeks - a timeframe Mousinho confirmed in his post-match press conference on Saturday.
John Mousinho provides injury update on Josh Murphy
Murphy might only have one assist to his name this season but he remains the Blues’ most effective attacking force.
His replacement against Sheffield Wednesday, Florian Bianchini, was unable to replicate what the former Norwich and Cardiff man brings to the team. So it was no surprise Pompey did all they could to get him fit for the visit of the Owls.
Explaining the circumstances around his unavailability on Saturday, Mousinho told BBC Solent: ‘He just picked up an ankle injury. He was struggling a little bit in the game last week (against Southampton).
‘I don't know if it was obvious or not, but he played through that and just couldn't get himself quite right.
‘We tried to get him out yesterday, but it wasn't right. Hopefully he will be (back for next week).’
Conor Shaughnessy and Thomas Waddingham latest
Shaughnessy’s hamstring injury against the Owls came in the 50th minute, when he was racing back to deal with a ball down the Blues’ left-back channel.
However, he was unable to deal with the danger as he pulled up in agony - an action that allowed visiting striker George Brown to seize the opportunity to put the ball beyond the of Pompey keeper Ben Killip.
The Blues will now wait on the result of a scan to determine the severity of the injury, with the centre-back missing large chunks of last season because of separate calf and hamstring issues.
Yet a similar process has already been conducted with Waddingham, with the young Aussie striker now set to miss the next three months of the Blues season.
Confirming that injury headache, Mousinho said: ‘That is relatively severe, so Tom's going to be out for about 12 weeks.’
Nicolas Schmid and Callum Lang are already long-term injury worries for the Blues.
For your next Pompey read: Portsmouth boss blasts abject Blues after Sheffield Wednesday humbling - and fires warning to players