John Mousinho addresses Portsmouth favourite's fitness after outstanding Ipswich Town and Leicester City displays

John Mousinho has admitted he’ll take ‘medical advice’ before making a call on Conor Shaughnessy’s involvement against Coventry City on Tuesday.

But the head coach has stressed he’s got plenty of options at the heart of defence, should the decision be made to rest the Irishman at the CBS Arena.

The 29-year-old has proved an influential presence in the Blues’ backline during their quest for survival in recent weeks.

Respective hamstring and quad issues forced Shaughnessy to sit out more than four months of action at various points of the campaign, with his minutes now being closely monitored to avoid further set-backs.

That had initially limited the League One title winner to just one game a week following his return in March, with Madiodio Dia, Connor Ogilvie and Ibane Bowat slotting in to partner Regan Poole at the heart of defence.

Pompey boss outlines Conor Shaughnessy plan

But the 2024 arrival rose to the occasion last week, completing back-to-back 90 minute performances against Ipswich Town and Leicester City.

That sparked hope amongst many that Shaughnessy would now be given the green light to start his third game in eight days against Coventry City on Tuesday, which could see Pompey seal their survival.

But Mousinho has made it clear he’ll seek the advice of the Blues’ medical staff before making a call on the extent of his involvement against the already-promoted Sky Blues.

The Pompey boss told The News: ‘We’ll see how he is. I think if you’d have asked me last week, I probably would have said he wasn’t going to be able to do Ipswich and Leicester.

‘But because he got through those two games, I'm probably thinking okay he’ll be okay for Tuesday. But I’ll take medical advice on that.’

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Pompey’s options at centre-back

Should Shaughnessy be rested in the West Midlands on Tuesday, it could see the return of Dia in the backline.

The 22-year-old has impressed in his five outings to date, which also included starts against Swansea City, Norwich City and Middlesbrough.

Competition is hotting up at the heart of the backline, with Bowat also shinning during Saturday’s triumph over Leicester as his goal proved the difference at PO4.

Meanwhile, Ogilvie will likely come straight back into side following the conclusion of his three-game suspension.

And although a decision over Shaughnessy has yet to be made, Mousinho is adamant the Blues have enough cover to fill the void.

He added: ‘We’ve got options. We’ve got Jojo, We’ve got Ibane, Connor Ogilvie coming back into the fold and Hayden Matthews as well so there’s plenty of options at centre-back.

‘Since the Southampton game where we only had one fit centre half, which was Ibane, we’ve managed to get as many fit as possible, which is what we’ve needed.’

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