There’s no doubt the Blues have been heavily impacted by issues to key players, with Callum Lang, Conor Shaughnessy, Jacob Farrell and other vital members of the squad missing large parts of the campaign.
That is of course not how Pompey fans would’ve wanted their first season back in the Championship to go, although performances on the pitch have been impressive as the battle for survival continues. The Blues find themselves four points clear of the bottom three and sit 17th in the table ahead of a crucial run in after the international break.
Injuries have affected Mousinho’s selection all over the pitch, most notably at centre-back with Marlon Pack featuring at the heart of the defence at times, while Alexander Milosevic was brought in as a free agent at the start of the month.
But what is the current situation with the sidelined players at Fratton Park? Here’s the lowdown on every injured member of the Blues’ squad and when they could return.
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9. Rob Atkinson
Expected return: Mid-April. The Bristol City loanee was given a similar 6-8-week timescale to Shaughnessy and has been sidelined since February 20 with a calf injury. That should see Atkinson potentially return to training as early as April 5, which would be six weeks post-injury. There is hope the defender will feature before the end of the campaign. | Getty Images
10. Hayden Matthews
Expected return: Pre-season. Matthews has been a revelation since his January move from Sydney FC - registering six appearances. But the centre-back picked up an ankle injury against QPR last month, which ruled the 20-year-old talent out for the season and required surgery. The defender is expected to return to the fray in pre-season. | National World