Portsmouth hit by fresh injury nightmare as loaned Sunderland defender’s season ends.

Aji Alese was among seven arrivals brought in by Pompey during the January transfer window, but the club have now been dealt another significant setback on the injury front.

With their casualty list already in double figures, Portsmouth confirmed that the on-loan Sunderland defender has joined the growing list of absentees at Fratton Park, alongside Conor Chaplin.

Neither player featured in Saturday’s 1-0 home defeat to Sheffield United, a result that left John Mousinho’s side 21st in the Championship and just a point clear of the drop zone.

While Chaplin is expected to be sidelined for 10 to 14 days with a groin issue, the outlook is far more serious for Alese. Mousinho has revealed the centre-back is likely to miss the remainder of the season after tearing his groin shortly after coming off the bench in last weekend’s clash with Preston North End his debut appearance for the Blues.

The 25-year-old, who had not played for parent club Sunderland for over a year due to a shoulder problem, sustained the injury after entering the game in the 85th minute at Deepdale. As a result, that brief cameo could prove to be his only outing in a Pompey shirt, adding to the club’s mounting misfortune with injuries this term.

Alese’s setback leaves four central defenders unavailable, with Conor Shaughnessy, Hayden Matthews and Josh Knight also sidelined. Against Sheffield United, Regan Poole and Connor Ogilvie were deployed in the heart of defence, while Ibane Bowat and fellow January recruit Madiodi Dia were named on the bench.

The defender becomes the third player in recent weeks to be ruled out for the rest of the 2025-26 campaign, following Franco Umeh and Mark Kosznovszky, who are not expected back until the summer.

Reflecting on the defeat to Sheffield United, Mousinho said Alese had torn his groin in the Preston game and is almost certain to miss the rest of the season.

He admitted the club were aware of the risk given Alese’s lack of recent match action, but were prepared to take that chance only for it to backfire when the injury occurred shortly after his introduction.