Portsmouth FC: Sunderland player will surely benefit from bittersweet Callum Lang situation | OneFootball

Adil Aouchiche has been waiting for his chance since moving to Fratton Park last month, and Lang's setback could see him thrown into the starting XI

The forward suffered the injury in Saturday’s 2-0 victory over Oxford United at the Kassam Stadium, with John Mousinho revealing that further scans have shown he is likely to be out for the remainder of the campaign.

With ten goals from his 29 Championship outings to date, the former Wigan Athletic man has proven to be a major part of Pompey’s flair going forward, with his absence likely to leave a huge hole needing to be filled in the final third.

The Fratton Park side may just have the answer waiting in the wings right now, with January addition Adil Aouchiche likely to be the man to take up the mantle going forward as the battle for survival continues.

Portsmouth hit by major Callum Lang blow as relegation battle intensifies

Lang had proven to be Portsmouth’s main source of goals so far this season, with the 26-year-old scoring double the tally of any other team-mate in the current campaign after netting his tenth in the league last month against Stoke.

Josh Muprhy and Colby Bishop have five goals apiece, which proves just how vital the playmaker has been in the League One Champions’ bid to stay in the second tier this season, with the relegation places currently seven points below them.

But the devastating news is sure to have an impact on Pompey’s cohesion as an attacking unit going forward, with Mousinho revealing the extent of the setback on Wednesday.

"Callum's not great, [he has] a torn hamstring," he told BBC Radio Solent.

"He's had his scan, he's going to have a second scan in 10 days to see if it's settled down [but] mostly likely we're looking at Callum returning next season unfortunately.

"[It's] one of those that's really, really unfortunate. Callum's been incredible this season in terms of his physical output, and certainly in terms of his goals and everything that he's done, but it's not looking great, it's a bit of a gutting one for Callum.

"He's played a huge part in where we are today and he's still got a huge part to play.

"He's a very important member of the dressing room, he's one of the leaders and we need to make sure he stays around, stays positive and gets back for next season fit."

Sunderland loanee Adil Aouchiche must step into Callum Lang’s boots after injury heartbreak

The setback to Lang is devastating on both a team and personal point of view, with the forward playing some of the best football of his career before being ruled out for the remainder of the campaign.

But football is a sport that shows no sentiment, and with the hosting of Queens Park Rangers coming this weekend, Mousinho will need to turn to someone else to in an attacking midfield role, and Aouchiche will be ready to make his mark in blue.

Having joined on loan for the remainder of the season in the January transfer window, the man borrowed from Sunderland has the chance to prove himself at Championship level, after starting just 13 league games for the Wearsiders since his arrival in the summer of 2023.

The Frenchman has had limited time to make an impact even after moving to Fratton Park so far, with three substitute appearances totting up just 67 minutes for his temporary side, but has already left an impact on the south coast with his accomplished performances in blue.

While Josh Murphy and Matt Ritchie can be trusted to continually perform in wide areas, Aouchiche will need to come in and help provide his fellow attackers with the ammunition for them to produce the goods, as well as chip in with goals as Lang has done so reliably over the course of the season.

While there have been glimpses of quality in his short cameos to date, Mousinho [pictured] may have no other option than to throw the Frenchman in from the start over the next few weeks, and he needs to hit the ground running.

While the relegation places seem some way back right now, Pompey are not out of the woods completely, and they need to make sure Lang’s injury doesn’t derail the hard work and effort they have put in to get to this situation, and Aouchiche can make sure things continue in perfect harmony when he gets the nod from the start.