Conor Shaughnessy injury update issued by 'devastated' John Mousinho at Portsmouth

John Mousinho has revealed Conor Shaughnessy will be absent for Portsmouth for at least another six weeks.

The update, which has left the Pompey coaching staff "devastated", was delivered during his press conference via BBC Radio Solent's Andy Moon on Wednesday [20 November].

The Irishman - who played in all but one of the club's League One games in their title-winning season - has not featured since 17 August.

"Unfortunately, we've got a bit of a setback with Conor. We were hoping he'd be back in training this week, but he's had a setback with his other calf," Mousinho admitted.

"He's got a tear. We're being really cautious with him, we're scratching our heads too.

"We're devastated for Shaughs. We're looking at a timescale of probably at least six weeks."

Portsmouth suffer yet another Conor Shaughnessy setback

Portsmouth would almost certainly have been in a less precarious position this season had Shaughnessy been fit throughout.

The central defender became the mainstay for Pompey during a superb season last time out, as the club dealt excellently with the long-term absences of Regan Poole and Tom McIntyre.

Many Blues fans were hoping to finally see a Poole and Shaughnessy partnership, but it now looks as if the recruitment staff have a decision to make on whether to sign another experienced defender.

Ibane Bowat is likely to be out for most, if not all, of the season; Ryley Towler is clearly not trusted enough by the head coach at this standard, and Jordan Williams has not appeared at centre-half for a while.

Marlon Pack was even drafted into the backline against Preston last time out [9 November], illustrating the extent of Mousinho's injury woes this term.

In other Portsmouth news, Ian Darke suggests a way Pompey can earn millions.

For more Portsmouth news, follow us on Facebook or join our brand new WhatsApp Channel for instant updates to be sent straight to your phone.