Portsmouth Striker Kusini Yengi Sidelined for Nine to Ten Weeks

Portsmouth manager John Mousinho has confirmed that striker Kusini Yengi will be out of action for an estimated nine to ten weeks due to a knee injury. This announcement follows Yengi’s recent performance where he increased his goal count to six in his last five starts for Australia, as the Socceroos played to a draw in Bahrain. The 25-year-old player sustained posterior cruciate ligament damage on 19 November during Australia’s 2-2 draw against Bahrain in an AFC World Cup Qualifier. In that match, Yengi scored both the opening goal and a 96th-minute equaliser. “It’s not good news,” Mousinho told BBC Radio Solent, describing the situation of losing a player while on international duty as “sometimes a bit more frustrating.” He further explained, “He’d just started three games on the spin for us, went away with Australia, started against Bahrain and scored two goals.” Mousinho added, “It felt, to us, like he was hitting a bit of form and coming back in to things nicely. There was going to be really good competition between all the centre-forwards we have in the building.” Yengi, a former Australian A-League forward, scored 13 goals in 31 appearances for Pompey last season. However, he has not found the net in eight league games since the club’s promotion to the Championship. Meanwhile, Mark O’Mahony, a 19-year-old on-loan player from Brighton & Hove Albion who has not scored in five outings, is also a doubt for their home match against Bristol City on Saturday, as he awaits a scan for an oblique strain. Despite these setbacks, Mousinho indicated that he might not look to strengthen his attacking options when the transfer window re-opens on 1 January. “We’ve got Colby Bishop, Elias Sorensen and Christian Saydee, so that’s not a priority for us at the moment,” he concluded.