Portsmouth boss John Mousinho has delivered an encouraging Rob Atkinson injury update, confirming the Bristol City loanee is at the “back end” of his rehabilitation having suffered a calf injury in Pompey’s win over QPR back in February.
The 26-year-old was one of three first-team players to leave Ashton Gate on loan during the January transfer window, making the temporary move to Fratton Park while Fally Mayulu and Kal Naismith joined Luton Town and Sturm Graz respectively. Atkinson hasn’t made a competitive appearance for the Robins in over two years having suffered an ACL injury in February of 2023 which was then followed by several subsequent hamstring issues, so the decision was taken to allow him to build his match fitness and confidence whilst on loan on the South Coast.
Initially, the loan move had the desired impact. The defender featured in eight league matches and played a crucial role as Portsmouth managed to build a gap between themselves and the relegation zone. However, the former Oxford United man was forced off just 39 minutes into Mousinho’s side’s clash with QPR and while the Pompey boss initially pointed to “positive signs” around his injury, he has missed the south coast club’s last five matches.
The hope, from both City and Portsmouth’s perspective, had been that the former Oxford United defender would be fit to feature again before the end of the season and his loan spell. Although Mousinho expects his side’s clash with Millwall this weekend will come too soon for Atkinson to return, he confirmed after Pompey’s win over Blackburn Rovers that the Reds loanee is one of two players closing in on a return.
“Probably not for Millwall,” Mousinho told The Portsmouth News. “I don’t think so for the next outing. Certainly, for my planning, I think we’ll be looking at the same squad.
“I think that’s really important,” he continued when asked how helpful it would be to have some extra bodies to pick from. “We’ve got players who are close and they are out on the grass.
“We do have a large training group on the grass. They are not training with us, but they are at the back end of their rehab – Rob Atkinson and Conor Shaughnessy. They are all coming back in decent enough time. We just need to get the balance right, so when they do come back they don’t break down.”
With just seven games remaining of the regular Championship campaign, Portsmouth currently sit 17th in the table, with a healthy seven-point gap to the bottom three. Perhaps more encouraging than the points total is the fact that Pompey have a four-team buffer between themselves and the relegation zone.
After this weekend’s clash with Millwall at The Den, Mousinho’s side travel to the CBS Arena to face Frank Lampard and Coventry City where they could do the Robins a favour by taking points off of a fellow play-off hopeful. Games against Derby County, Norwich City, Watford and Sheffield Wednesday follow before last season’s League One winners welcome Hull City to Fratton Park on the final day of the campaign.
While it isn’t yet clear when exactly Atkinson will return to the fold, both Portsmouth and the Reds will be hoping it is sooner rather than later so that he can help his loan club confirm their place in the Championship before returning to the West Country with some valuable minutes under his belt.
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