Former Wigan Athletic man denied DW return after being KO'd until 2024

The 24-year-old joined Pompey in the summer from Wigan, after a disappointing 12 months at the DW.

After joining the previous summer from Lincoln, Scully made only five appearances in a Wigan shirt, the only start coming in the final game of last term against Rotherham, when a host of first-team players were unavailable for selection.

Scully's misfortune has continued into this season, which has seen him make only three league starts from six outings.

And he will undergo an operation on his problematic left knee which will sideline him for several months.

"It’s not the best news with Anthony," said Pompey boss John Mousinho.

"The knee unfortunately hasn’t settled down after the injection, so it’s going to be surgery for him to repair the meniscus.

"It’s a lengthier spell than we would have liked, we tried to do it this way and get him back a bit quicker, but sadly it hasn’t worked out.

"Anthony’s going to have the operation in early October, it’s just about getting it booked in and making sure the swelling is reduced before we get in there, that’s an important thing.

"But you are probably looking at two or three months of him being out.

"We will have to see what happens. He has been struggling with this injury, playing through it, trying to do the best for the side. It’s really bad luck for him.

"We just need to take our time with Anthony, he’s here for a long time, so we want to make sure we do the right thing by him.”

Scully had been intending to kickstart his career on the south coast.

Prior to joining Latics, he had been a stand-out player in League One at Lincoln City, having come through the ranks at Premier League West Ham.

"Sculls was really, really good in pre-season and really sharp in a couple of the games,” added Mousinho in 'The News'.

"It’s one of those things, it happens, but we’ve got the squad here for a reason, we are lucky we’ve had players come instead."