The agonising conundrum facing John Mousinho over Portsmouth favourite
The Irishman has made 19 Championship starts in two years due to injury
Just 12 months ago, the Fratton faithful pinpointed the availability of their title-winning spine as pivotal to Championship progress.
As it turned out last season, Bishop was joint-top appearance maker yet struggled for goal-scoring form, while Callum Lang was sold for £2.1m In February after driving a move to Preston.
Meanwhile, Shaughnessy would total 20 appearances as the Blues finished 18th during another injury-wrecked Fratton Park season for the centre-half.
Indeed, since the Irishman’s iconic winner against Barnsley in April 2024, he has started just 21 league games in little more than two years.
Missed one League One game in 2023-24
It remains a huge ongoing concern for Pompey. While there is absolutely no doubting Shaughnessy is a Championship-calibre performer, his lack of availability is devastating his impact.
It now seems improbable that the former Burton Albion man made 49 appearances when the Blues were crowned champions in 2023-24.
He started all but one league fixture in that memorable campaign - when he was overlooked for the match-day squad on the opening day draw against Bristol Rovers, despite being fit.
With Pompey overstaffed with six contracted centre-halves on their books at present, Shaughnessy and Regan Poole comfortably remain their best partnership, three years on from arriving at Fratton Park.
However, Mousinho hasn’t been able to pair the duo in the centre of his defence anywhere near enough since reaching the Championship, primarily down to the Irishman’s fragile injury record.
Interest in Dundee’s Luke Graham
Certainly Pompey’s head coach will this season be faced with a big call over Shaughnessy, whose three-year contract expires next summer. Namely, do they continue putting faith in his availability - or accept defeat?
With ongoing interest in Dundee’s Luke Graham, despite having turned to Madiodio Dia as an alternative on deadline day in the January transfer window, it appears the Blues still want to strengthen in that area.
Ibane Bowat’s presence looks vulnerable considering his shortage of first-team involvement, while Josh Knight’s return from a long-term back injury will no doubt be closely monitored when the players return for pre-season from Thursday.
Then there’s Shaughnessy. Every inch a Championship defender, he’s a classy player who is outstanding aerially in both boxes, can operate in either centre-half position, is comfortable on the ball and a first-class professional popular with his team-mates.
Crucially, though, he has started 19 league games over the last two seasons courtesy of a variety of set-backs including persistent injuries to both calves, several hamstring tears and a quad strain.
Return for pre-season on Thursday
While Mousinho will be banking on the 30-year-old rediscovering the availability of the 2023-24 season, the uncomfortable question is whether, now two years on, that will ever be possible.
Clearly Pompey’s head coach will be guided by his medical team when pre-season opens, gauging Shaughnessy’s fitness and physical well-being some seven weeks after the May league finale against Birmingham.
Last term had seen the Irishman used sparingly during the final three fixtures, consisting of two substitute outings, as the Blues, ultimately, decided to err on the side of caution after his latest comeback in March.
Encouragingly, unlike 12 of his team-mates, he ended the campaign uninjured, with 19 minutes off the bench in the 1-1 draw with Birmingham representing a positive finale.
A crumb of comfort for Mousinho to cling onto after regularly being robbed of the services of the outstanding centre-half for two successive seasons - and forced to implement endless contingency plans as a consequence.
Pompey are infinitely a better side with Conor Shaughnessy in it - but is it already too late for that?