'Tough one to take': Portsmouth boss defends handling of luckless striker after injury set-back
The striker scored on his Blues debut in August 2025 after appearing against Reading in the Carabao Cup
John Mousinho is adamant Pompey did all they could to prevent Tayo Singerr breaking down on his injury comeback.
However, the talented striker is now expected to be sidelined for four months after undergoing surgery following a second hamstring blow.
Singerr was forced off just nine minutes into his AFC Totton debut earlier this month, having agreed to a season-long loan with the National League South club.
Introduced off the bench in the 57th minute against Weston-Super-Mare, he subsequently had to be replaced by Ibrahaim Olateju after sustaining an injury.
According to Mousinho, it isn’t the same hamstring Singerr tore in April while on loan at Gosport, which ruled him out of the Blues’ pre-season schedule.
Nonetheless, the first-year professional will not return until 2027 after his latest devastating career blow - although Pompey’s head coach believes the youngster was handled correctly.
‘It’s a real tough one to take’
Mousinho told The News: ‘Tayo unfortunately has sustained that hamstring injury. Following surgery, he will be out for a long time.
‘It was one of those which was sustained while he was away from us. He’s gone out on loan and got a hamstring injury and it’s a real tough one to take.
‘Tayo had had the build up. He hadn’t played in our pre-season games, but he’d had a very, very long protracted build up to make sure he was back. He trained for five weeks before going out on loan because we wanted to make sure he had that full exposure.
‘He’d played in a couple of 11-a-sides we had hosted and an Academy, so we thought he was ready to go.
‘It’s a different hamstring, nothing to do with the previous one he injured, and it’s a real blow for Tayo unfortunately.’
Absent from Portsmouth pre-season
Singerr wasn’t involved in any of Pompey’s seven pre-season friendlies this summer, while didn’t accompany the squad of their Fota Island training camp in July.
Instead the Blues focused on building up his resistance ahead of finally returning to action in August, once the Championship season was underway.
The striker last month made an Academy comeback, lining up for Piero Mingoia’s side in a Youth Alliance League fixture against Luton at Pompey’s training ground.
Singerr scored a first-half penalty before being replaced at half-time by Dexter Lee as the Blues eased him back into match action, winning the game 3-2.
Then, nine days later, he was unveiled at Totton on a season-long loan, representing a step up in levels from previous stints at Moneyfields and Gosport.
That evening he was handed his debut at Weston-Super-Mare, however a fresh hamstring set-back means the former Academy Player of the Year won’t be back playing again until January at the very earliest.