Portsmouth boost over injured trio after exciting pre-season update
Preparations for the upcoming Championship campaign are underway - with John Mousinho’s squad put through their paces as they report in for training.
The Blues reported back to the club’s Hilsea training base on Thursday as preparations ramped up for the upcoming Championship campaign.
Mousinho’s squad will be put through their paces across two days of testing before moving on to the grass at the start of next week to kick-start their pre-season program.
There were, of course, a number of players who occupied the treatment room during the latter stages of last term as injuries hampered Pompey’s run-in.
Among those were Player of the Season Terry Devlin, Zak Swanson and Josef Bursik, who sat out with hamstring, knee and quad issues respectively.
Injured Pompey trio spotted in pre-season update
A new video posted by the Blues on social media shows the trio accompanying their team-mates as the squad returned to the gym to undergo their testing.
The in-demand right-back came off in the early stages of the 1-0 win at Fratton Park, with the set-back also forcing the 22-year-old to miss Northern Ireland’s friendlies against Guinea and France after the season’s climax.
It is expected the six-cap international will depart in the window as his stock rapidly increases following a brilliant campaign, which saw him complete a clean sweep in the club’s end-of-season awards.
Devlin was initially set to miss four weeks of action, meaning a return to the grass next week is expected as Mousinho’s men move their preparations outside.
The versatile full-back was sidelined for the final eight matches after undergoing knee surgery in April.
It was initially expected the ex-Arsenal man would miss as much as four months of action, meaning the popular defender would complete his comeback in August.
But Swanson was spotted in the gym being out through his paces using the weights to test the strength of his legs.
That exciting update could suggest the 2022 arrival is on track in his recovery as he looks to start his fifth season at Fratton Park on a high.
Meanwhile, Bursik was also caught on camera conducting a one-legged jumping exercise, having returned to full fitness following his late-season injury set-back.
The keeper suffered a quad injury in the Blues’ penultimate match of the campaign against Stoke City, with the issue forcing him off just four minutes into April’s 3-1 win at the bet365 Stadium.
Also captured in the video was Connor Ogilvie, who penned a new two-year deal last week, Conor Shaughnessy, Adrian Segecic, Toby Steward, Ibane Bowat, Thomas Waddingham, Josh Murphy and Jordan Williams.