Ronan Curtis' welcome Portsmouth injury boost - and Virgil van Dijk and Neymar's influence in his comeback

Now the London-based leading sports injury clinic behind the successful footballing returns of Virgil van Dijk, Neymar, Danny Ings and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain will oversee the Irishman’s comeback.

Following a visit to the Fortius Clinic in Marylebone last Thursday, Curtis has learnt he will be sidelined for nine months.

Although, encouragingly, the ACL injury isn’t considered as severe as it could potentially have been.

Scans reveal the ligaments which prevent his left knee from sliding forward have snapped, yet the tear is regarded as a small one.

Indeed, Curtis is presently not in any pain and walking without crutches – just two weeks after sustaining the injury in the midweek 3-1 win over Bolton.

Had it not been for Pompey head physio Bobby Bacic sensing a deep-rooted issue, noticing the knee was not moving as freely as normal, the winger would have subsequently declared himself fit, thereby worsening the injury.

Nonetheless, it remains a long road ahead, with March 22 pencilled in as a preliminary date for the operation with the world-renowned specialists.

The 90-minute procedure involves taking a graft from the hamstring on his right leg and introducing it to his injured left knee.

Potentially, Curtis could return within six months, yet that would put him at risk, with a 40 per cent chance of the problem recurring in the future.

In comparison, recovering over the full nine months reduces the possibility of further set-backs to a more reassuring two per cent – and is viewed as the way forward.

Curtis may return to the training pitch in September, with a first-team comeback of early December pencilled in as a realistic ambition.

However, the 26-year-old is out of contract at Fratton Park at the end of June, with talks not having yet taken place on a fresh deal.

The former Derry player has made 226 appearances and scored 57 times since arriving for a bargain £100,000 in the summer of 2018.

He had scored seven goals in 36 games this term, before damaging his ACL in the 82nd minute against Bolton at the end of last month.

The timing of the injury is particularly harsh on Curtis, having seemingly recaptured his best form in the early days of head coach John Mousinho’s tenure.