Rob Atkinson left Bristol City on loan during the January transfer window to join Portsmouth for the remainder of the seasonBristol City loanee Rob Atkinson has missed Portsmouth’s last seven matches(Image: Photo by Peter Nicholls/Getty Images)

Portsmouth boss John Mousinho has set out the potential timeline for Rob Atkinson to make his return from injury, suggesting Pompey’s Good Friday clash with Norwich City could be the right time for the Bristol City loanee to feature in the starting line-up.

The 26-year-old departed Ashton Gate on a temporary basis, alongside both Kal Naismith and Fally Mayulu, during the January transfer window. The defender hadn’t made a first-team appearance for the Robins in almost two years having suffered an ACL injury in February 2023 which was then followed by subsequent hamstring issues, so the decision was taken to allow him to build both his match fitness and confidence on loan at Fratton Park.

After an impressive start in Portsmouth colours, Atkinson was forced off with a calf injury in the first half of Mousinho’s side’s win over QPR in February and has since missed each of Pompey’s last seven matches.

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Although there is a chance the former Oxford United man could return to the matchday squad when Derby County visit Fratton Park on Saturday afternoon, Mousinho doesn’t think he’ll be ready to start against the Rams.

“Rob probably needs time,” the Pompey boss told The Portsmouth News. “Perhaps he comes straight into the squad on Saturday. But I just think that, having been out for the period he has, Saturday is going to be too quick.

“We are in a position now where we have to take every single injury on its merits. There might have been times earlier in the season where we took a bit of a longer-term view. If we are looking at the last three or four games of the season, rather than give him an extra week, we have to give him a couple of days after he comes back in, hence he’s not going to be fit for Derby.

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“Previously, we might have gone ‘We’ll do an extra week.’ Now I think it will be right for him to come back into the Norwich game. Something I have learnt through football is, particularly at the back end of the season, you need to make those decisions and make short-term decisions, bearing in mind player welfare as well.

“We don’t want players to get injured unnecessarily, but we have to make short-term decisions and make sure we get things right and get results.”

Portsmouth currently sit 17th in the Championship table, five places but just three points above the relegation zone having won just one of their last five league matches. Since Atkinson was sidelined in February, Pompey have picked up just six points from seven games despite securing 16 points from the eight matches the City loanee started before his injury.

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Although Portsmouth will have undoubtedly been hoping to see more of Atkinson on the pitch during his loan spell, Mousinho has been quick to praise the effect the 26-year-old has had on his squad when fit in the second half of the season.

“Look at the games Rob has played in for 90 minutes in, such as Sheffield United and Burnley,” explained the Pompey boss. “Then there were the three wins on the spin against Cardiff, Oxford and QPR. He played in them all.

“He didn’t play at West Brom, he played against Middlesbrough and Stoke. All of those games were either good performances or wins. Rob’s made a massive, massive impact.”

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