Joe Morrell latest as John Mousinho delivers injury update from Portsmouth
John Mousinho has delivered a rare injury update at Portsmouth as they prepare for the final stretch in the Championship.
Joe Morrell suffered a knee injury in January 2024 and has been out of action since, sticking around the squad for his rehabilitation.
Morrell is no longer contracted at Fratton Park, as his deal expired in the summer of 2024, but the club has maintained a duty of care during the injury and helped him with recovery.
The Welsh midfielder has been a good influence around the squad, with Pompey still four points clear of the Championship relegation zone.
Mousinho’s update on Morrell
Portsmouth have been struggling in the Championship this term, but despite looking destined for the drop at one stage, they have fought back in recent months.
With three losses in their last four matches, though, the South Coast side is now just four points clear of the drop zone and are living very dangerously.
While Pompey navigate through the relegation battle, Mousinho has insisted that Morrell’s presence with the squad has helped them in the scrap, with eight games left to play.
| Joe Morrel stats | Matches | Goals | Assists |
| Portsmouth 2021-2024 | 105 | 1 | 10 |
Speaking to The News, Mousinho said: “It has been a long return from injury for Joe and obviously a really tough 14-15 months – but if anybody is able to cope with that, that’s Joe.
“He’s a very, very resilient and very, very intelligent young man. He will definitely bounce back from the injury.
“I don’t think he’ll be back in training this month. I take a really keen interest in Joe’s rehab, but it isn’t top of the priority list, so I unfortunately can’t give you a definitive answer on that one. However, Joe was injured playing for us, and we have that duty of care.
“‘I don’t know how much it has benefited us having Joe around, but I’m sure he has been an extremely good influence in the dressing room.”
Mousinho must stabilise Portsmouth in the final few games
The 38-year-old manager has successfully managed to take Portsmouth out of the relegation trenches once this season. After 26 games, Pompey were sitting 23rd in the table with just five wins, but since then, Mousinho has guided his team to six wins in 12 games.
While they are out of the relegation zone, the work isn’t done yet.
The South Coast side recently beat league leaders Leeds United with a resilient performance, and if they are to survive in the Championship, they will need to repeat that kind of performance several times until the end of the season.
With eight games to go and a few tricky fixtures against Blackburn Rovers and Coventry City, Pompey have no room for error. Mousinho will need to stabilise the side and squeeze positive results to ensure Championship football for next season.
Can Morrell help that? Only time will tell.