John Mousinho reacts to injury troubles of Portsmouth star with new update
Portsmouth are preparing for their second year in the Championship after a successful battle against relegation this season.
John Mousinho’s side secured a 16th-place finish in a campaign where many players stepped up successfully from League One football and several new signings bedded into the team.
However, the Pompey boss has now addressed the future of one player whose season was disrupted by injuries.
Mousinho addresses future of injury-prone defender
Right-back Jordan Williams was signed from Barnsley last summer, and it was hoped that he’d slot effortlessly into Portsmouth’s back four.
However, a string of injuries meant that he only appeared 21 times this season.
Williams was sidelined on four separate occasions, including three spells out with a persistent hamstring problem.
Now, in an interview with The News, Mousinho shared his future plans for the defender.
He said: “There’s a combination of things we can do. There are going to be some obvious things we can potentially change, but I will leave that to the medical department and Jordan himself.
“Overall, from my point of view, all we want to do is have him available for those 46 games; that’s the most important thing.”
Mousinho added that he believed Williams performed well in the games where he was available.
The defender’s final game of this season was the 1-0 win against Watford, which confirmed Portsmouth’s Championship survival.
He was forced off due to his hamstring in the second half of that match.
Still, Mousinho confirmed that he should be fit and raring to go when the squad returns for pre-season training on 23 June.
Williams can still enjoy a long and successful Pompey career
It can be frustrating for any player to get injured several times in one season, especially when they are trying to make an impact at a new club.
In equal measure, this can frustrate the manager and those behind the scenes who made the effort to recruit the player.
Williams was a regular starter for Barnsley for many years. He appeared in almost every game in the season before moving to Fratton Park, so it’s still possible that the 25-year-old could thrive as a Portsmouth player.
| Jordan Williams statistics 2024-25 | |
| Appearances | 21 |
| Minutes Played | 1333 |
| Goals | 0 |
| Assists | 0 |
It has been suggested that Williams could be sold this summer to raise funds for incoming transfers.
Indeed, Pompey also have Terry Devlin and Joe Swanson, who are more than capable at right-back, and the Blues have also been linked with a move for Joel Ward.
Still, it would be wrong to lose faith in Williams at this moment. Plenty of great players have endured injury-plagued seasons and gone on to enjoy fantastic careers.