Returning Rangers loanee Ross McCrorie may have to wait for Portsmouth comeback

But Joe Gallen has ruled out the loanee being available for Saturday’s FA Cup visit of Barnsley.

McCrorie has been recuperating with parent club Rangers since suffering a second hamstring tear in six weeks.

That rehabilitation programme involved joining Steven Gerrard’s squad for warm weather training in Dubai earlier this month.

According to Gallen, the Scotland under-21 international is scheduled to be back at the Blues’ Copnor Road training base tomorrow.

A timely return as Pompey wait to discover the extent of the injury suffered by James Bolton in Tuesday night’s Leasing.com Trophy victory over Scunthorpe.

However, Pompey’s assistant boss does not believe McCrorie is ready to be considered for Saturday’s fourth-round fixture.

Gallen said: ‘Ross will be around on Thursday.

‘The key with Ross is we will have to look after him a little bit.

‘The normal situation for us with injuries like that, where it’s a hamstring and he has been out for a couple of weeks, is we like to give a week's training. Then they are up for selection.

‘Now unfortunately by Thursday it’s not a week’s training, so whether he is up for selection on Saturday would be a risk.

‘Having said that, I am pretty sure he will be up for selection for Lincoln (January 28) and Sunderland (February 1).’

McCrorie has missed Pompey’s last eight matches through injury during a frustrating loan spell to date.

Jackett has recently earmarked him to challenge for the problematic right-spot which Bolton was brought in to fill.