John Mousinho shares injury update on Josh Murphy and two others with attacker set to return vs Watford
Portsmouth go into the Watford clash on Wednesday in a bit of an injury crisis.
Pompey have numerous players out of action, with Conor Shaughnessy confirmed to be out of Portsmouth’s plans until Christmas, in a recent devastating blow.
However, another player who has been sorely missed in recent matches is Josh Murphy.
The winger has been out of both the Sheffield Wednesday and Ipswich matches, both of which ended in defeat.
With the loss of his creativity on the pitch clearly having a big impact on results, many are hopeful that he could return for Watford.
John Mousinho: Josh Murphy could play against Watford
Since Murphy’s injury, Mousinho has remained adamant that the winger would not be out long-term.
The manager had confirmed that Murphy had a minor ankle injury at Portsmouth, which had kept him out of the last two matches.
Now, Andrew Moon has confirmed via X on 29 September that Mousinho stated Murphy could play a part against Watford, explaining that it is a “possibility”.
- Murphy has proven to be Portsmouth’s best player since signing last summer
- The winger played a key role in keeping Pompey in the Championship in the 2024/25 campaign
- However, this season, Murphy has struggled with injuries so far
On top of this, Harvey Blair is also in contention to play against the Hornets after recovering from his long-term injury.
However, Franco Umeh remains a couple of weeks away from full training and remains unavailable.
Winger Harvey Blair is available for selection, Franco Umeh remains a couple of weeks away from full training #Pompey
— Andrew Moon (@mrandrewmoon) September 29, 2025
Mousinho has to start Murphy if fit against Watford
Without Murphy in the starting XI, Portsmouth have looked weak up top and out of ideas.
It is clear that much of Pompey’s attack is reliant on the winger to create something.
While this is not a good thing, it is not something that can be fixed immediately. Therefore, Murphy must start if he is fit to play.
A victory in the Watford match is highly important, and if Portsmouth do not achieve this, they will be one step closer to being sucked into another relegation battle.
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