REVEALED: Portsmouth caretaker boss provides worrying update over reported Birmingham, Huddersfield and West Brom target

The 22-year-old was left out of the Blues’ side to face Spurs on Saturday after it emerged the youngster had sustained a knee injury.

This saw the former West Ham man watch the warm-ups from the touchline, where he was seen wearing a knee brace.

Confirming those worrying reports, caretaker boss Simon Bassey revealed Mingi is set to face six to eight weeks out after picking up a grade two media ligament issue in training.

It comes as a major blow for the midfielder, who answered Pompey’s SOS message after injuries and suspensions saw Marlon Pack, Tom Lowery, Louis Thompson and Joe Morrell all absent in recent months.

Having made 26 outings so far this term, the youngster was earlier linked with Championship sides West Brom, Birmingham and Huddersfield in January.

Bassey was full of praise for Mingi’s rise this term but issued a worrying update over his latest injury blow.

He told The News: ‘Jay has got a grade two medial ligament.

‘I’m hoping six to eight weeks, he just rode a challenge in training the other day and opened his knee up.

‘He had it scanned and will be in a brace for a couple of weeks, just for safety reasons. Not good but better than terrible.

‘He’s had some really high moments and he’s had some moments that haven’t been so high. The challenge for all of us and the players is consistency in the performance.

‘I think if you’re going to play at the top level, they’re good every week. They’re not eights and fours, they’re sixes if terrible and they’re eights and tens when they’re brilliant.

‘We have to play to an eight more as a group.’

Mingi had missed two of the past three fixtures prior to the Spurs defeat through illness.

Bassey was disappointed the midfielder picked up another issue and believed the contest against the Premier League side would’ve been the ideal fixture for the youngster.

‘He’s been ill, there’s been a bug going round,’ He added.

‘I’ve been ill for eight weeks, I can’t get rid of the cough.

‘Dane has had it for three weeks, Jay has had it. It’s difficult when you spend so much time together because you pick things up and we work closely together.

‘He was over the bug and today would’ve been a really good day for Jay because you come to places like this where you need athletic boys and Jay is really athletic.’