Portsmouth manager Danny Cowley says that he does not want to rule defender Sean Raggett out for the rest of the season, despite him suffering a fractured cheekbone in his side's 1-0 win at Wigan Athletic on Monday.
Raggett was forced off with just under ten minutes of the game remaining, following a collision with Wigan attacker Callum Lang, as challenged for a ball in the area.
Now it seems as though the full extent of the injury is yet to become clear, meaning Raggett's prospects for the rest of the season are somewhat up in the air.
Speaking after the game about the injury suffered by Raggett, Cowley was quoted by Hampshire Live as saying: "It was just on the sideline, he is a really honest boy, tries to win every ball and he probably just tries to win a ball that isn’t there to be won.
"I think he has headed the back of Callum Lang’s head, he has headed it with his cheek and Callum Lang has gone off with concussion so you can see how big the collision was and we wish Callum, who is a very good player, well going forward.
"We are not quite sure at the moment (about concussion), we are just doing the tests now but I have just been down to see him and it is not looking good."
Assessing whether that could mean Raggett's season is now over, and the possibility of the defender playing with facial protection,
Cowley went on to add:
"I think there is a concern. We are hoping that he will not need an operation but there is a chance looking at it now that there will be. "Looking at it now, there is a lot of swelling so we will let it settle and get an x-ray and we will have a clear idea of what is next.
"He is a tough kid, he looks like he has had 12 rounds with Mike Tyson, but he is as brave of a player as I can remember working with.
"They can (play with protection), it depends what type of fracture it is, it depends if it is depressed then that can cause some problems."
So far this season, Raggett has played in all 38 of Portsmouth's league games, having made a loan move from Birmingham permanent during the summer transfer window.
The Verdict
This will no doubt be a significant source of concern for those of a Portsmouth persuasion.
Given he has featured so regularly for Pompey this season, there can be no denying that Raggett has become a key player for the club over the course of the campaign.
As a result, losing him now just when they are starting to look like they can really make their mark in the battle for League One promotion, would be a major blow for the club.
With that in mind you imagine those at Fratton Park will be doing all they can to make sure that Raggett can be fit and available to play again for Portsmouth this season if possible.
