Portsmouth’s Luke Brooke-Smith Faces Surgery After Serious Ankle Injury

Portsmouth’s Luke Brooke-Smith faces surgery after suffering a serious ankle injury in training that could rule him out for the rest of the season.

The 18-year-old winger, who arrived at Fratton Park in the summer from Wellington Phoenix, dislocated his ankle in what boss John Mousinho described as a “really unfortunate” incident at the training ground.

Speaking to BBC Radio Solent, Mousinho revealed the full extent of the damage.

“He's suffered a severe ankle dislocation,” he said. “Off the back of that, there is a fracture on his fibula and significant ligament damage. It was dealt with really well by everyone at the training ground and he was taken to QA [Queen Alexandra Hospital] before being discharged.

“We’re going to leave it to settle for a couple of days, but he will go in for surgery after that.”

The injury halts Brooke-Smith’s early momentum at Pompey. Used carefully so far this campaign, he has made four appearances in all competitions, including one Championship start, with his other outings coming from the bench as he adjusted to English football.

For a teenager looking to make his mark, the blow is brutal.

Brooke-Smith later addressed the incident on his Instagram page, laying bare the emotional impact of the setback.

“No words with how I'm feeling right now,” he wrote. “A freak incident in training causing me to dislocate my ankle, break fibula and potential ligament damage.

“As I don't know the severity yet I'm trying my best to stay positive in a really hard time for me. I will work my hardest to get back out on the pitch to play for this amazing club.

“Thank you to all the staff and players for getting around me.”

Portsmouth must now plan without one of their brightest young prospects, while Brooke-Smith begins the long road back, determined that this is only a pause in his Fratton Park story, not the full stop.