'I've never been injury-free this season': Portsmouth favourite Josh Murphy rues latest cruel set-back
It’s another injury blow for the Blues winger after just 16 appearances in 2025-26 season
A frustrated Josh Murphy reflected on a 2025-26 season to forget and admitted: I’ve never been injury-free the whole time.
It’s the latest in a series of devastating injury set-backs this term, including two hamstring tears, ankle ligament damage and a fractured toe, restricting him to just 16 appearances.
In the case of the recent groin issue, Murphy insists the problem has dogged him all season, yet the Blues’ medical team had hoped it could be managed.
Now the 31-year-old is looking forward to finally putting his injuries behind him as he targets that start of pre-season training in June.
‘It’s sore, but it definitely feels better’
Murphy told The News: ‘The operation was always pre-planned, it’s one I came into the season with.
‘Obviously I returned and I just wanted to play against Stoke, then the dates fell right that I could have surgery last Thursday, so I missed the Birmingham game.
‘It’s all done and now that should be the end of all the injury issues, so I’m glad it has been carried out. It’s sore, but it definitely feels better.
‘There was a groin tear - plus a bit of tendinopathy which I have to get sorted - but I’ve been playing with that way before the broken toe.
‘I have been playing with it all season. I’ve tried different techniques, trying to get rid of the pain and the symptoms, but that didn’t work.
‘It was only a small procedure, it probably looked a lot worse when I was walking around after the game. I was in and out of hospital the same day, I should be back on the bike by the end of next week, so it is a really quick tempo.
‘I haven’t been injury-free all season. That is probably like 98 per cent of the squad, you’re always playing with something. I‘ve just had loads of little somethings, which is annoying.
‘I tried as best as I could to be out there, I was happy that I could play against Coventry and Stoke. I have missed it, I’ve spent all that time out with my foot, I was just dying to get back.
‘I hardly trained before Coventry, so just to be out on the pitch with the boys was great because it had been a long four months.’
Broken metatarsal in December
Murphy suffered a broken metatarsal in his left foot at Swansea in December, yet attempted to carry on before being ruled out for the season.
However, he returned ahead of schedule last month, when named as an unused substitute in the 2-0 victory over Ipswich, having missed 22 matches.
He subsequently featured off the bench at Coventry on the evening which signalled Pompey’s Championship survival, before appearing as a substitute at Stoke.
Indeed, within four minutes of his entrance at the bet365 Stadium, he assisted Adrian Segecic’s second goal as the Australian helped himself to a hat-trick in a 3-1 success.
‘It has been really frustrating for me’
Yet Murphy was then sidelined from Saturday’s 1-1 against Birmingham as they finished 18th in the Championship after another testing season.
Murphy added: ‘It has been really frustrating for me, I just love playing football and, when you can’t play, then you have the highs and the lows of what’s going on with the boys on the pitch.
‘When you are out there you can affect it, when you are in the stand you can’t affect it - and that's probably the hardest thing. I will always be there supporting the boys and I'll try to be there to the best of my ability.’