Portsmouth need to approach ex-Preston North End man following double injury blow: View | OneFootball

Portsmouth have been dealt yet another major injury blow in the middle of their quest for promotion to the Championship.

Not long after Man City loanee Alex Robertson was ruled out for most of the remainder of the season with a hamstring problem, fellow midfielders Joe Morrell and Terry Devlin are set to miss the rest of the season through injury, in what is another crippling blow for head coach John Mousinho.

The bad news keeps coming for Pompey as January signing Tom McIntyre has also been ruled out for the rest of the season after he was injured during his promising 60-minute debut against Northampton Town.

Morrell, Devlin and McIntyre join Regan Poole and Robertson on the sidelines - five players who would arguably walk into Mourinho's first-choice starting 11.

Pompey are now short in the centre of the midfield and the centre of defence.

Sean Raggett has deputised well at the back, but his ball-playing ability has clear deficiencies.

With Ryley Towler as backup and Connor Ogilvie able to slot in alongside Conor Shaughnessy, Mousinho will make do with his central defensive options.

However, the Blues' midfield is looking exceptionally light.

Portsmouth short of midfield options

Marlon Pack, Tom Lowery, Myles Peart-Harris, Ben Stevenson and new signing Owen Moxon represent Portsmouth's current engine options with three places up for grabs.

At first glance, the docket looks healthy.

However, Stevenson has only made one start in League One and is returning from injury, while Peart-Harris has been playing a more advanced role.

Pack, Lowery and Moxon represent Mousinho's only deeper-lying options after Devlin and Morrell's season-ending injuries. Should Pompey be dealt another injury setback, they will be extremely light in the middle of the park.

One option for sporting director Richard Hughes is to delve into the free agent market.

Portsmouth could target free agent Josh Onomah

Former Preston North End midfielder Josh Onomah is a free agent after leaving Deepdale in July 2023.

And, according to The Sun's Alan Nixon, the 26-year-old was of interest to Portsmouth's League One promotion rivals Bolton Wanderers during the January window - a move failed to materialise however.

Having trained with Stoke in the summer months to keep up his fitness, the former Tottenham midfielder could be ready-made to sign for a League One club.

Despite only being 26, Onomah is an experienced player who has operated at a higher level for the majority of his career, although he was in the same boat this time last year when he had barely played for Fulham in the first half of the campaign before moving on to PNE.

At Deepdale, Onomah was given time to try and get up to speed, with his first start only coming in April and all appearances before that being off the bench.

Even though he only notched one assist in 13 outings for the Lilywhites, Onomah was still wanted by Ryan Lowe, who tried to tie him down to an extended deal, but it did not work out and he has been clubless ever since.

With Pompey yet to be linked with any free agents, it remains to be seen whether Mousinho and Hughes feel their injury needs serious attention, but testing the waters regarding Onomah wouldn't be the worst idea.

Can Portsmouth stay on track for automatic promotion?

After a difficult Christmas period, Pompey have taken 13 points since the turn of the year, currently the second-best record in the division behind Leyton Orient.

During their most recent fixture - a 4-1 win over Northampton, McIntyre was the only player out of the current injured contingent to start.

With Callum Lang, Peart-Harris, Colby Bishop, Paddy Lane and Abu Kamara in attacking areas, Pompey won't be short of quality between now and the end of the season - it's just midfield depth that is perhaps lacking.

63 points and the second-best points per game means Pompey are in an excellent position to finally return to the Championship - and promotion will look all the more impressive due to Mousinho's crippling injury list.