John Mousinho confirms big Portsmouth FC blow ahead of Leicester City - Marti Cifuentes will love it | OneFootball

John Mousinho has confirmed a fresh injury blow for Portsmouth ahead of Saturday's trip to Leicester City

John Mousinho has confirmed a significant blow for Portsmouth's preparations ahead of Saturday evening's trip to promotion hopefuls Leicester City, who will undoubtedly feel increasingly confident of maintaining their strong start to the 2025/26 Championship campaign as a result.

Portsmouth have endured a mixed introduction to the season after surviving in their first season back in the Championship in 14 years following promotion from League One. Mousinho's side have struggled for consistency by winning three, drawing three and losing three of their opening nine fixtures, although they did head into the October international break with momentum after claiming a slender 1-0 home victory over then-league leaders Middlesbrough.

This weekend's opponents, Leicester, have been up there with Middlesbrough as one of the strongest sides in the division thus far, with the Foxes having only lost once. The East Midlands outfit remain undefeated at the King Power Stadium and, indeed, in their last seven matches, and will pose an imposing test to Portsmouth when they travel up to Leicestershire on Saturday.

The task at hand, however, is only going to stiffen in difficulty following a key update delivered by Mousinho on Wednesday afternoon.

John Mousinho confirms fresh Josh Murphy, Portsmouth injury blow ahead of Leicester City

It's no coincidence that Portsmouth have struggled for consistent form and goals in the absence of Josh Murphy, who has featured on just four occasions to date owing to a persistent ankle injury.

The tricky winger established himself among the finest, and most productive, attacking players in the Championship last season after completing a controversial switch from freshly-promoted Oxford United, whom he led back to the second-tier with a brace in their play-off final victory over Bolton Wanderers.

Rejuvenated at Fratton Park under Mousinho's stewardship, Murphy posted seven goals and a league-high 14 assists in a best-ever campaign for the former Norwich City and Cardiff wide-man. However, injuries have restricted his impact in the early stages of the campaign.

The 30-year-old missed Portsmouth's curtain-raiser away at Oxford but returned to action before being ruled out of clashes against Sheffield Wednesday, Ipswich Town, Watford and Middlesbrough.

His condition appeared to be touch-and-go heading into the trip to Leicester, though Mousinho has now confirmed that Murphy, who is set to return to training this week, will be left out of upcoming encounters with the Foxes and table-toppers Coventry City, with the hope of recovering in time for next weekend's home game against Stoke.

The Pompey boss explained: "We’re still monitoring Murph’s situation, he’s okay.

"We’ve been very, very cautious and that will be the case for next week or so. It will most likely be Stoke for him rather than Leicester or Coventry. That will give him an extra week’s training.

"At this stage for Murph’s it’s more about getting it right, whereas before it was looking as we went and saying it’s touch and go.

Now we need to get him back and make sure he’s not exposed to further injury.

"It’s dragged on longer than we’ve hoped, but we expect him to train this Friday and give him a good week to get back for Stoke."

Leicester City, Marti Cifuentes will love John Mousinho's Josh Murphy update at Portsmouth

Mousinho's update, quite naturally, represents an immediate blow for Portsmouth, even if the south coast outfit will surely be better-served further down the line by following the head coach's eagerness to avoid rushing the star man back into action and, in turn, running the risk of potential aggravation.

Leicester, however, as one would expect, will have different feelings.

Following the series of dazzling displays at Fratton Park last term, Murphy is widely recognised as Portsmouth's star player, with his trickery, speed and directness, alongside a goal threat and a penchant for inch-perfect deliveries into the danger zone, marking him as a significant threat for just about any second-tier defence.

Leicester happen to know exactly how good Murphy is, too, with the Foxes having been interested in a move for the winger towards the end of the summer transfer window.

He would've been a shrewd acquisition to the squad of new boss Marti Cifuentes, who can breathe a sigh of relief knowing that his side will not have to face off against Murphy this weekend.