Danny Cowley reveals reasoning behind Portsmouth player’s absence against Morecambe | OneFootball

Portsmouth midfielder Joe Morrell was absent from the 18-man squad on Easter Monday during Portsmouth’s 1-1 draw at Morecambe.

The 25-year-old came off after 12 minutes in the game before, a 3-2 victory over one of his former clubs, Lincoln City.

Featuring regularly for Pompey this season when available, Morrell has 33 League One appearances to his name this season, with 26 of those coming in the form of starts, proving to be an important member of the squad since arriving in the summer from Luton Town.

Speaking to Hampshire Live regarding Morrell’s absence from the squad on Monday, despite travelling up with the squad, Cowley said: “Credit to him, he wanted to give himself the best possible chance, but with a dead leg sometimes you suffer where the muscle just doesn’t have any power in it.

“He did a fitness test this morning, but it was quite clear he wasn’t going to make it.

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“He probably only had a one per cent chance, but he still wanted to travel. He has some muscle inhibition which means he had no power in it, so he wasn’t able to run, so it was a pretty brief fitness test.”

The verdict

With Portsmouth having little to play for in what remains of this season, it would be pointless to risk Morrell when he is having some injury issues.

Morrell is someone who is likely to play a big role at Fratton Park next season, with all eyes starting to focus on securing a Championship return.

The 25-year-old’ passing range and reading of the game makes him a vital player under Cowley, with the pair first working together when Morrell enjoyed an incredible campaign on loan with Lincoln City.

It will be interesting to see if he plays in what remains of this season, or if the focus will be placed on ensuring he will be ready for pre-season.