Portsmouth boss' frustration over 'massively-rated' Thomas Waddingham's absence - and when he'll be back
The Australian has missed Pompey’s last 17 matches through injury
John Mousinho is convinced Pompey have missed the striking talents of ‘massively-rated’ Thomas Waddingham.
And he is adamant the Blues won’t be afraid to throw the injury-hampered Australian back into the action when he eventually returns.
The 20-year-old is pencilled in for a February return after tearing his thigh just four weeks into the Championship season.
It represents the latest set-back in Waddingham’s frustrating Fratton Park career, having also suffered with groin and hamstring issues since arriving in January 2025.
His Pompey career has totalled 10 games and one goal so far, after missing the last 17 matches in all competitions this term.
Yet Mousinho remains a fan of the young attacker, who finished as the Blues’ top scorer in the pre-season. That, coupled with Colby Bishop’s ongoing form issues, has left him ruing Waddingham’s ongoing absence.
Portsmouth boss: We have really missed him
The head coach told The News: ‘Tom will be back in February. He’s looking all right, he is progressing well, February was when he was supposed to come back, so no delays on that.
‘We brought him in in January last year, probably to give him 4-5 months to develop, but he developed quicker than we thought he would and he came and affected the first-team.
‘He got his first start away at Coventry, had it not been for the injury he would have played a bit more towards the back end of last season. Tom put himself ahead of some good centre-forwards we had in the building at the time.
‘There were the likes of Mark O’Mahony and Kusini Yengi, we obviously had Christian (Saydee) around too. Tom put himself ahead of them and gave us a real headache in terms of selection.
‘We have really missed him, particularly off the back of the pre-season performances. He is a massively-rated youngster, he’s just got to try to stay fit.’
Scoring in injury-time on Pompey debut
Waddingham netted on his Pompey debut at West Brom in January, having been introduced off the bench for Bishop.
He was subsequently handed his maiden Championship start three months later in the trip to Coventry, only to be forced off in the second half with a hamstring injury.
That curtailed the Australian’s season with five matches remaining, yet he returned strongly in pre-season to register four goals, including netting the winner against PEC Zwolle in the final friendly.
However, after featuring in all five of Pompey’s opening matches this season, he collected a calf injury in training - and has been sidelined ever since.
‘Eventually, we’ve got to go all-in with him’
Mousinho added: ‘I think you can manage Tom at the start of his injury comeback, but eventually we’ve got to go all-in with him. He’s got to play games, he’s got to try to build up to 90 minutes.
‘There's only so much risk you can mitigate, ultimately, you’ve got to trust in the rehab and trust in what he has been doing with himself over the past 3-4 months.
‘He’ll be ready at some point in February, but it’s too far away to worry about that now.’
Your Next Pompey Read: 'No hiding away from it': Portsmouth boss adamant survival signs are there