Regan Poole will not play in Pompey’s pre-season friendly matches.
Although John Mousinho claims the defender is recovering well from ACL injuries.
It’s been almost eight months since the beloved former Lincoln City player suffered a season-ending knee injury in the FA Cup first round defeat at Chesterfield in November. Poole was not participating with his teammates in Monday’s return to the training pitch after the summer vacation, instead focusing on his own fitness by running laps. Nonetheless, the Wales international will be among the team that travels to Croatia on Saturday for a weeklong training camp.
Poole, on the other hand, will not be considered for the Blues’ friendly programme ahead of the Championship season, which begins on August 10.
Mousinho told The News that “Regan is progressing nicely.” He’s back on the grass, which is a huge step in terms of ACL rehab, and maybe things will improve from there.At the moment, we have no plans for his return. We need to keep him on the grass before sending him back out with his boots and passing the ball. It is about gradually reintegrating him into training.
‘But I don’t think he’ll play any of our preseason games. That would go too far for Regan.
‘He obviously sustained the injury during the first round of the FA Cup (in November). You must let all the swelling go down before surgery.
So the operation did not take place right away, and you would generally expect to wait nine months after that. We’re making certain we get it properly. We took our time getting here, so there’s no need in rushing now. ‘We just need to make sure Regan is well and ready to play at some point this season. But it’s great to see him one step closer to returning.’ 
The only other player missing from Pompey’s return to training was new signing Jordan Williams, who was suffering from a tight calf.
In the meanwhile, Mousinho is encouraged by Poole’s progress.
He added: ‘He sees the light at the end of the tunnel, it’s a really big shift from completing those long rehab spells in the gym to getting onto the grass, mentally more than anything.’It’s actually being able to lace your boots and becoming more connected with the guys. At the very least, Regan was present when we were running on Friday.
‘He wasn’t doing the runs with us, but he was there and feels more like a member of the team now.’
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