Peterborough United owner Darragh MacAnthony has provided a key injury update ahead of the Posh’s League One match away at Shrewsbury Town this Saturday.
Peterborough’s start to the 2024/25 season hasn’t gone as planned, with a defeat against Huddersfield Town in their opening match, followed by another loss to newly-promoted Championship side Oxford United in the Carabao Cup. Injuries have played a significant role in these setbacks, a stark contrast to the club’s fortunes last season.
Hector Kyprianou, Rio Adebisi, George Nevett, and Ryan De Havilland have all been absent from Peterborough’s first two games. Additionally, new signing and Manchester City loanee Mo Susoho had to withdraw midweek with a hamstring injury, potentially sidelining him for an extended period. Winger Kwame Poku has also been dealing with injury concerns, having trained just 48 hours before Posh’s campaign opener at the Western Holmes Stadium.
Speaking on his ‘Hard Truth’ podcast today, MacAnthony revealed:
“It’s been a frustrating start, more off the pitch than on it. Last season, we had a 94% fitness retention rate, the best in the EFL, and it seems like we’re paying for it now. It’s nobody’s fault, but we’ve had some absurd injuries, like Mo (Susoho) picking up a problem during a warm-up.”
MacAnthony then addressed the situation with star player Hector Kyprianou, who is currently sidelined due to injury:
“Hector (Kyprianou) is obviously a massive loss. We turned down bids from major Championship clubs for him over the summer because we believe he’s the best midfielder in League One.”
He went on to discuss other injury challenges:
“George Nevett fractured his arm, and he was set to play the quarterback role that Ronnie Edwards filled last season, with the added advantage of being left-footed. Then there’s Kwame, who was kicked on the foot during training just two days before the Huddersfield game. We need him at full speed because a fully fit Kwame would improve any Championship side.
“We’ve also lost Rio (Adebisi) until November. We paid a lot of money to bring him in at left-back, but now, due to a cartilage problem, we had to sign Jack Sparkes as a replacement. This has had a knock-on effect, pushing some players like Donay O’Brien-Brady into the first team sooner than expected.
“Jack (Sparkes) and Sam Curtis are far behind in terms of fitness. Jack didn’t play in pre-season for Portsmouth because they had two left-backs, and Sam hasn’t played 90 minutes in nine months. They’ve looked like they’re dragging caravans, but they’ll get there.
“Mo’s unavailability is a real issue because we’re at our cap limit. Hopefully, we can find a solution. We have a great relationship with City, and maybe they could offer us someone else, but I’d rather Mo was fit and available because he looked like a top prospect in the Huddersfield game. If he’s not, we’ll have to try and sign someone else.”
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