The good and bad injury news for Portsmouth ahead Derby County showdown
Pompey face Derby County this weekend, which kick starts a tough festive period for the Blues.
John Mousinho has revealed Josh Knight’s back injury is worse than initially feared.
But the head coach has admitted Regan Poole is back available after a short absence following a slight ankle issue.
Injury fears worse than first expected for Pompey man
Knight was last seen in action against Bristol City at the start of the month after picking up a slight issue in his back.
Although early indications suggested the 28-year-old could return before his centre-back counterpart Poole, Mousinho has admitted he will be forced to miss a large part of the festive period.
The head coach has now revealed Knight will be sidelined for the next 2-3 weeks as he continues his recovery.
Speaking ahead of Saturday’s trip to Derby, the Blues boss said: Josh Knight is going to be two or three weeks. The bone bruising in his back is a bit worse than we originally thought.
Regan Poole back in contention for Pompey
Meanwhile, Poole is back in contention and is available for the trip to Pride Park after missing Swansea and Blackburn with an ankle problem.
The centre-back rolled his ankle in training ahead of the abandoned game against Charlton a fortnight ago, forcing him to sit out for the first time this season.
The 27-year-old was one of just two members of Mousinho’s squad to have played every minute for the Blues this term prior to his absence at the Swansea.com Stadium last week.
But having fully recovered from his setback, the head coach believes he now has a conundrum on his hands in the backline, with Bowat and Matthews both recently impressing.
He added: ‘Regan’s back in training so he’s available for the weekend.
‘The two centre-halves at the minute have done enough to deserve keeping their starting spots and Regan’s going to comeback and compete. It’s a nice position to be in.
‘Probably at times during the season a fit Regan Poole is automatically going to start but it gives us a nice headache on Saturday.
‘I think he’s been one of our most consistent players up until the injury he picked up in training. I think he played every minute of every game so that tells you everything you need to know. ‘
Marlon Pack could also return to the 20-man squad to face the Rams this weekend after serving his one-game suspension against Blackburn last Saturday.
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