Portsmouth boss John Mousinho says winger Josh Murphy is unlikely to return until Pompey host Stoke on 25 October.
Portsmouth boss John Mousinho has confirmed that winger Josh Murphy is not set to return until the side host Stoke later this month.
The 30-year-old has been on the sidelines with an ankle issue for the past four games and Mousinho says he will not rush him back.
"We are still monitoring Murphy's situation," Mousinho, whose side host Stoke on 25 October after games at Leicester and at home to Coventry, told BBC Radio Solent.
"We've been very cautious with him and will continue to be [for] the next week or so.
"I think we are most likely going to see him for the Stoke game rather than Leicester or Coventry.
"At this stage of that injury, because it's dragged on a little bit, we have to give him extra time."
There is also "no imminent return" for forward Callum Lang (hamstring), goalkeeper Nicolas Schmid (hand) or defender Conor Shaughnessy (hamstring), while winger Franco Umeh (leg) is around "four to five weeks" away.
Portsmouth visit Leicester City on Saturday (19:45 BST) in search of a second away win of the season.
Pompey have claimed five points on the road so far this campaign, more than a third of the amount they accumulated away in the entirety of last season (14).
Mousinho added: "I think we are a bit more defined in terms of our playing style away from home. We've tried to build ourselves on being more solid and maybe a bit more pragmatic.
"One of the positive things for us, it's not something that has just clicked into gear this year. Post-West Brom last year [5-1 loss in January], we became more competitive away from home."
Listen to the full interview with Mousinho and more Portsmouth content on BBC Sounds.
Category: General Sports
