Portsmouth manager Danny Cowley has revealed that striker Jordy Hiwula could be out of action for up to six weeks with an ankle injury.
Hiwula was absent from the matchday squad Pompey's 2-1 win away at Shrewsbury on Saturday afternoon, and now it seems as though the 26-year-old could be out of action for some time to come.
Speaking about Hiwula's absence from the side after that win at the New Meadow, Cowley was quoted by The Portsmouth News as saying: "Jordy, and credit to him, played last Saturday and kind of put himself up to play even though he was carrying a little bit of an ankle injury.
"Unfortunately, he got another kick on it and I think we will lose him for four to six weeks. That’s what we anticipate. We’ll try to accelerate the process and try to get him back quicker."
Discussing the impact Hiwula's absence could have on Portsmouth, particularly with fellow forward John Marquis now facing a ban following a straight red card at the weekend, Cowley went on to add: "We’d certainly like to extend our season so hopefully we can get him back fit because he’s an important player to us.
"We’ve seen today, you know, if we do lose John for potentially three games then we’re short of options in the number nine position."
Since joining Portsmouth back in October, Hiwula has scored three goals in 14 appearances in all competitions for Pompey.
Following that win over Shrewsbury, Cowley's side have now climbed to fifth in the League One table, 11 points adrift of the automatic promotion places with ten games of their league season remaining.
The Verdict
This could be a big blow for Portsmouth if Hiwula's injury is as bad as feared.
With Marquis also potentially set for a stint out of action through suspension, Pompey look as though they could be about to find themselves struggling in terms of options at centre forward.
As a result, that could certainly make things problematic for Portsmouth as they look to get the goals that can keep their promotion hopes - either automatic or via the play-offs alive.
Indeed, it will be a big compliment to their credentials if they are able to do that, and it will certainly be interesting to see how they cope with this particular challenge.