Portsmouth boss’ crucial Josh Murphy fitness update amid long-term absence fears after missing huge Middlesbrough win

The Pompey boss has allayed fears his star man is facing a long-term stint on the sidelines, as he battles an ankle injury.

Mousinho revealed he’s hopeful the man who signed a new deal at Fratton Park this week, will be back in action by the time his team return to Championship duty after the international break.

Murphy didn’t make it into the Pompey squad as they delivered a massive 1-0 win over leaders Boro, inflicting a maiden defeat of the season on Rob Edwards’ men.

Mousinho explained the club’s medical team did everything they could to get the 30-year-old on the pitch against Boro, but caution was eventually exercised as he missed his fourth game on the spin.

The Pompey boss made it clear the outlook is not a bleak one for the former Oxford United man, however, as he signed a new contract until the summer of 2028 this week.

In fact, Mousinho anticipates the outstanding wide man will be back for the trip to Leicester City, who were interested in him this summer, on October 18.

Mousinho said: We’re nearly there with Josh.

‘We did push a couple of things with him this week to try to get him fit.

‘There’s now a couple of weeks for his ankle to properly settle down, and we can hopefully settle down for those three games in a week when we come back.

‘It’s genuinely not long term with him. People would’ve have seen him around Fratton Park today and he really is absolutely fine. He’s signed his new contract which is obviously brilliant news, too.

‘We’re close with Josh and he provides a lot of competition at the top end of the pitch.’

Mousinho acknowledged that if the Boro game had arrived at the end of the season in a match with a lot on the line, Pompey would have likely taken the decision to play Murphy.

In the event there is still a lot of Championship football to be played this term, with the sensible decision deemed Murphy was not worth risking. Mousinho also acknowledged there’s already been times this term when Murphy has been nursed through games.

When asked if Murphy would have been risked if it was the final game of the season, Mousinho said: ‘Probably. We’ve had to manage that with a couple of injuries Josh has had this year. He had that slight hamstring injury against Oxford and maybe we pushed him through that.

‘The same with the ankle injury when he was in the side on the Friday morning before, but we have to take that long-term view with him and back the squad to be able to fill in. It’s a huge loss whenever we lose one of those types of players. We’ll be grateful to get him back.’