Pompey have effectively lost Tareiq Holmes-Dennis for the first half of his loan from Huddersfield as the left back is facing several months out.
After a specialist appointment this week to determine the seriousness of his injury, sustained against Rochdale last Saturday, it isn’t looking good.
Kenny Jackett told BBC Radio Solent: ‘It’s not good news, it looks longer-term rather than short-term, which is a blow as he had a bright pre-season for us.’
The boss followed this up by telling the News the left back will have another specialist meeting on Friday but is expecting Holmes-Dennis to be sidelined for at least three to four months.
‘With Tareiq, it is a minimum of three to four months. It doesn’t look a good one. He is going to see another specialist on Friday but the signs don’t look good. It was a pretty innocuous situation anyway. He came off the pitch, stepped on to the astroturf, his footing went wrong and the inside of his knee – well he has shaken it up quite badly. He actually felt it quite early in the game and tried to run it off. But it didn’t go away and he had to come off.’
It wasn’t clear what had happened at the time but when he went down holding his knee, which was right in front of me in the North Lower, you could see it didn’t look good… Holmes-Dennis knew this too.
Brandon Haunstrup got his chance on Tuesday against Cardiff in the League Cup and Jackett thought he did well but another specialist left back is now being targeted to replace Holmes-Dennis and/or Haunstrup, or act as back up for the Blues youngster.
Jackett added: ‘It is frustrating but I am sure he’ll be back and back stronger. I was pleased with Brandon last night. But to go into the season with just one left-back isn’t the right thing and I would like two specialist left-backs at the club. Searching for someone else is something we have been running alongside trying to assess Tareiq’s injury in the last few days.’
Hardly the ideal way to start a season is it; further defensive injuries CANNOT be afforded with Nathan Thompson and Matt Clarke still missing.
PLAY UP POMPEY
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2017-18 Prediction League – August
Oxford (a) – Saturday 12th August 2017 – click here.
Fulham U21 (h) – Wednesday 16th August 2017 – click here.
Walsall (h) – Saturday 19th August 2017 – click here.
Wigan (a) – Saturday 26th August 2017 – click here.
