Portsmouth head coach John Mousinho has painted a stark picture of his attacking options, describing his squad as "incredibly short" in the front four after a run of injuries that has hampered the club's Championship campaign from the off.

The Blues sit 18th in the second tier after six matches, winning two of them and scoring seven goals. That return is modest enough, but Mousinho's concern is structural: he simply does not have the bodies to pick from that the position demands.

Brooke-Smith facing a long road back

The most serious blow came in a recent training session, when 18-year-old summer signing Luke Brooke-Smith suffered a severe ankle dislocation, a fractured fibula and significant ligament damage. The teenager underwent surgery on Tuesday, which Mousinho confirmed had gone well, though he is expected to be absent for several months.

"Luke had surgery which was successful," the head coach told BBC Radio Solent. "It's still going to be a long-term injury but we'll be hopeful to have him back in the new year."

That prognosis, if it holds, will mean Brooke-Smith misses the vast bulk of a Championship season in which he might reasonably have expected to establish himself. For a club that invested in their attacking options during the summer, losing a wide player for so long is a significant setback.

Murphy absent, new signings still finding form

Josh Murphy has also been unavailable out wide, leaving Mousinho with a depleted set of options in the positions he would ideally fill with competition between at least two players for each slot.

"If you look at the frontline in general right now we're incredibly short because of the injuries we have," he said. "Ideally we'd like to have two wingers competing for those spots and I'd like to have three centre-forwards fit at all times."

Summer arrivals Marko Milovanovic and Abu Kamara have both taken time to settle, which is not unusual for new signings adjusting to a new club and a division as demanding as the Championship. Milovanovic, who scored twice in the win over Cardiff City, is now rated as "50-50" to face Blackburn Rovers on Saturday after picking up a calf injury, which would strip Portsmouth of another option just when momentum appeared to be building.

Anderson's return offers a lifeline

The one piece of relatively good news Mousinho could offer is that Keshi Anderson has returned to training and is being targeted for a comeback after the upcoming international break. That would at least give the head coach another experienced body to call upon in the weeks ahead.

Mousinho has been candid throughout about the challenge of finding a stable attacking unit. "We still haven't had a settled front four," he said. "Finding that balance is something that we've tried to do over the last few weeks but haven't been able to do due to injury or changes in form."

The broader concern for Pompey supporters is one of timing. The early weeks of a Championship season can shape a club's entire campaign; points dropped in September are rarely fully recovered. Portsmouth are currently two points above the relegation zone, and while six games is too small a sample on which to draw firm conclusions, the second tier is unforgiving to sides that cannot rotate in key areas.

Mousinho, for his part, remains confident that the situation will improve. "I'm really confident that when we get some people back and clicking then we'll be great," he said. That confidence will be tested soon enough, with Blackburn arriving this Saturday and the Pompey attack still far from full strength.

The international break that follows may offer some breathing space, but it will also serve as a reminder of how thin the margins are at this level when your best-laid squad plans are undone by a training ground accident and a calf strain.

Frequently asked

How long is Luke Brooke-Smith injured for at Portsmouth?
Brooke-Smith suffered a severe ankle dislocation, a fractured fibula and ligament damage in training. He had surgery on Tuesday and Portsmouth are hoping to have him back in the new year, making it a long-term absence that could stretch beyond four months.
Is Marko Milovanovic fit to play for Portsmouth against Blackburn?
Head coach John Mousinho has described Milovanovic as '50-50' to feature against Blackburn Rovers on Saturday after the forward picked up a calf injury.
Where are Portsmouth in the Championship table?
After six Championship matches, Portsmouth are sitting 18th, having won two games and scored seven goals. They are two points above the relegation zone.