John Mousinho has revealed that Portsmouth’s injured summer signing Ibane Kowate won’t play any further part for Pompey this season.
The defender signed following the club’s promotion back to the Championship, arriving from Premier League team Fulham.
However, an injury suffered in August has left him out of the side for the entirety of the campaign.
| Ibane Kowat – Career league appearances (per Fbref.com) | ||||
| Season | Club | Appearances | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022-23 | Den Bosch (Loan) | 16 | ||
| 2023-24 | Hartberg (Loan) | 29 | ||
| 2024-24 | Portsmouth | 0 | ||
| As of March 1st | ||||
The 22-year-old has yet to feature for Pompey since signing a three-year deal, with a knee injury caused during a training session keeping him out of the team all season.
John Mousinho puts “pre-season” timeline on Ibane Kowat return to Portsmouth squad
Mousinho has confirmed that Portsmouth will not be looking to rush Kowat back into the side despite making his return to the grass as part of his recovery.
The Pompey boss does not expect the centre-back to feature at all this season, despite the number of injury issues facing the side at the moment.
“Ibane is out on the grass now,” said Mousinho, via The News.
“He’s not training, though, and we’re at the back end of February. That means he’s been out since August when we signed him, a significant period of time.
Portsmouth striker Colby Bishop has signed a new contract to keep him at Fratton Park until the summer of 2028.
“It’s six months and seven by the time he trains at the very, very least. So the chances of him being available for any games this season are slim to none.
“It’s just not something we’re willing to risk. There’s no point bringing him back too quickly, he’s been out for eight or nine months and all of a sudden we decide to chuck him into games at the back end of season.
“He could end up getting injured again and we want him back and fully at it in pre-season – that’s all we’re thinking about.”
Portsmouth currently have injury concerns surrounding the likes of Conor Shaughnessy, Rob Atkinson and Hayden Matthews, leaving them short defensively amid their battle against relegation from the Championship.
Kowate’s recovery shouldn’t be rushed by Portsmouth
Kowate has been out since August, and required surgery on his knee in September in order to aid his recovery.
That is the kind of injury that requires a certain level of caution when trying to get him back to full fitness.
While Pompey have issues at the back at the moment, rushing him back could just make matters that much worse.
If Portsmouth can get him into the team for one or two games at the end of the season, that would be great, but his focus should primarily be on preparation for pre-season at this stage.
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