Portsmouth rocked by Alexander Milosevic injury as centre-half jinx strikes yet again
Pompey’s centre-half jinx has struck once more following injury to Alexander Milosevic.
The former Swedish international arrived last month to provide cover for a creaking back line deprived of Conor Shaughnessy, Rob Atkinson and Ibane Bowat.
Now Milosevic is also sidelined - after picking up a calf injury in training ahead of last night’s trip to Coventry.
According to John Mousinho, the 33-year-old is today set to undergo a scan to learn the full extent of the issue.
In his absence at the Coventry Building Society Arena, Pompey didn’t have a natural defender on their nine-man bench, with Marlon Pack and Terry Devlin the options.
While Connor Ogilvie and Regan Poole lined up in the centre of the defence for the fourth game running as the Blues heartbreakingly lost 1-0 due to Jamie Paterson’s spectacular 94th-minute winner.
The Bristol City loanee could be in the Blues squad against Derby on Saturday, although realistically he won’t be ready for a starting spot until the Good Friday trip to Norwich.
Nonetheless, losing Milosevic for any of their final five matches represents yet another blow to a position which has been dogged by injury all season.
Particularly when the sole purpose for recruiting the Swede and bringing him up the speed after his season ended in November was to offer a back-up plan should that area suffer any more problems.
Mousinho told The News after the Coventry defeat: ‘Alex picked up an injury in training so we are going to scan that on Thursday and see how he is.’
Shaughnessy pencilled in
Milosevic is still awaiting his Pompey debut, having been included among the substitutes against Blackburn and Millwall but not called upon.
He had leapt above Ryley Towler in the pecking order, with the youngster making way for him on the bench after four successive matches.
Incidentally, Towler hasn’t played for Pompey since the 5-1 defeat at West Brom in January, representing his 14th appearance of the season.
Meanwhile, Shaughnessy is being pencilled in for a return to full training next week, having missed the Blues’ last nine matches with a hamstring problem.
The possibility of reuniting Atkinson and Shaughnessy at some stage during the remaining month of the campaign is a tantalising prospect, especially given the seriousness of the league position.