Portsmouth dealt fresh injury blow as Aussie talent suffers new setback ahead of Millwall
Thomas Waddingham has scored one goal in his 10 Pompey appearances following his January arrival.
Thomas Waddingham has suffered a setback on his return from a quad injury.
It’s been a challenging start to the season for Pompey, who have had a number of key personnel sidelined at various points of the campaign.
Josh Murphy, Callum Lang, Nicolas Schmid, Conor Shaughnessy, Adrian Segecic, Connor Ogilvie, Harvey Blair, Jacob Farrell and Franco Umeh have all spent time in the treatment during the opening 15 games so far.
Waddingham is another who has been part of the injured cohort after pulling his quad in training ahead of the goalless south-coast derby against Southampton in September.
The Aussie talent was initially expected to be out for up to 12 months, with the hope of a potential return in early December on the cards.
In an update at the end of October, the head coach admitted the 20-year-old was ‘progressing nicely’ and was back running on the grass as he looked to return ahead of schedule.
Pompey boss’ injury update over Thomas Waddingham
But that picture has since changed, with the Pompey boss revealing the January arrival is still a while away from any potential comeback.
Speaking in his pre-match press conference ahead of the trip to Hull City, Mousinho said: ‘He's injured still, Tom’s going to be out for another 6-8 weeks.’
With a new time-frame earmarked for Waddingham, the fresh setback could now see him return just before Christmas at the earliest.
Thomas Waddingham frustrating Pompey stay
It’s another significant blow for the frontman, who has struggled for fitness during his 10-month stay at Fratton Park.
After arriving from Brisbane Roar in January, the forward has amassed just 10 appearances for the Blues.
It was a frustrating end to the 2024-25 campaign, with the forward missing various parts due to groin and hamstring problems.
Waddingham returned to the fray in pre-season and went on to featured five times in all competitions before his setback in September.
The Blues have netted just 12 goals in their opening 15 matches of the season and are the second-lowest scorers in the Championship just in front of 22nd-placed Sheffield United.
Terry Devlin netted both goals in Saturday’s 3-2 defeat to Hull City, which leaves Mousinho’s men four points above the relegation zone in 20th position.
With news over Waddingham’s latest injury blow, the striker could now miss as many as seven matches for Pompey.
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