'Good signs': Portsmouth boss buoyed by Harvey Blair injury latest as return date pinpointed
The former Liverpool winger has been sidelined by a hamstring injury for four-and-a-half months
Harvey Blair has been pencilled in for a return to Pompey training during the next fortnight.
Although John Mousinho has stressed the importance of being ‘patient’ with the ex-Liverpool man, having been sidelined since May.
The 22-year-old suffered significant damage to his hamstring during a tackle by Hull defender Sean McLoughlin in the final match of last season.
Blair, who subsequently missed the Blues’ entire pre-season programme during his rehabilitation, has recently returned to training outside.
His next stage is to resume full training with his team-mates, which is expected to be either at the end of this month or the start of October.
Portsmouth boss: We are getting good signs at the minute
Mousinho told The News: ‘I suspect Harvey will be back in full training in two weeks if everything goes well with his rehab - and we are getting good signs at the minute.
‘He’s back out on the pitches, but not training with us at the minute. I would be disappointed if he’s not back in a couple of weeks because it means something has happened or he has broken down.
‘I think Harvey’s optimistic. It has been a long road to recovery, if he does come back in a couple of weeks or three weeks, that will be five months since he has been out at the beginning of May.
‘It has been a long, long road, sometimes you skip those summer months in your head, but he has been out for a while, so we’ve got to be patient with him.
‘Regardless, Harvey has been very, very positive around the place and we’re looking forward to having him back.’
Featured on Liverpool’s pre-season tour in summer of 2024
Blair was recruited from Liverpool in August 2024 for an undisclosed fee, having featured for the Premier League side during a pre-season tour in America.
However, he found outings hard to come by at Fratton Park, totalling just 12 appearances in a maiden season spent battling against relegation.
With Pompey having secured their Championship status with two matches remaining, Blair was handed a start at Sheffield Wednesday in April, which he marked with a maiden goal in a 1-1 draw.
He retained his place for the final fixture against Hull, only to be forced out after 16 minutes following McLoughlin’s strong tackle, which earned the centre-half a booking.
Little did the Fratton faithful present that May afternoon realise the seriousness of that injury, with the winger still not back in action four-and-a-half months later.
Increased competition on the right wing
During Blair’s absence, Pompey have added loanees Yang Minhyeok and Florian Bianchini to their wing options, plus the signing of Crystal Palace youngster Franco Umeh.
Adrian Segecic has also operated wide on the right on occasions this season, including starting in the role in Sunday’s goalless draw with Southampton, as has Terry Devlin, who replaced him in the second half.
Also absent through injury at present is Callum Lang, who started the Blues’ opening two Championship matches on the right flank, only to sustain a hamstring injury against Norwich, expected to keep him out for up to 12 weeks.