Defoe blow leaves Adams short of options

JERMAIN DEFOE is facing the possibility of surgery that could rule him out for six weeks as Portsmouth manager Tony Adams contemplates fielding a weakened team for the club’s clash with Italian giants AC Milan in the UEFA Cup on Thursday.

Influential midfielders Lassana Diarra and Niko Kranjcar are, like Defoe, also under specialists’ care for the injuries which kept them out of Saturday’s 2-2 home draw with Hull.

Now Adams, who is set to name bit-part players such as Kanu, Hermann Hreidarsson and David Nugent for the club’s biggest ever European night, insists he will not risk the fitness of top-line stars.

Defoe has become a major concern after being substituted by England at half-time of the 2-1 win over Germany in Berlin because of an aggravated calf injury.

Adams initially hoped the £7.5million striker, whom he is desperate to keep despite the fear that bigger clubs will bid for him in the January transfer window, would be fit to face Hull but those hopes were dashed.

“He’s had this problem before so we’ve got to get it sorted out for him and we will,” Adams said. “He is seeing a specialist on Monday and we’ll know more about his situation then. I’m not a doctor so I can’t really comment at this stage but we’ll see.

“He won’t play against Milan and Lassana is seeing other specialists [on] Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday so he’s got to be a doubt with his ankle. We’re covering all bases with them, making sure they get the best.

“Niko’s come back from his specialist with a good report but he got a bang on the ankle where he had the operation [in August] and I won’t take chances with anyone who is not 100 per cent fit.

“I did that with myself as a player and you just can’t do yourself justice.”

Adams saw his injury-hit side pegged back twice at Fratton Park on Saturday by Hull. Pompey thought Peter Crouch’s header after 21 minutes and then Glen Johnson’s 30-yard thunderbolt on the hour would have been enough.

But Michael Turner equalised with a header from a corner nine minutes after the break and veteran substitute Dean Windass claimed to have levelled again four minutes from the finish, although replays suggested it must go down as a Noe Pamarot own goal.

It was another frustrating moment for Windass, who has been annoyed by a lack of first-team opportunities this season and is considering whether to leave on loan.

“I’ve told him he should stay here,” Brian Horton, the Hull assistant manager, said. “There’s been talk he wants to go out on loan somewhere but if I was 39 I wouldn’t want to go to a Championship club — even if I was 19th man at Hull.”

PORTSMOUTH (4-4-2): James 6, Johnson 7, Kaboul 6, Distin 6, Pamarot 6, Diop 6, Davis 7, Hughes 6 (Nugent 58, 5), Belhadj 6 (A Traore 58, 5), Crouch 7, Utaka 5 (Kanu 74, 5).

Subs Not Used: Ashdown, Hreidarsson, Mvuemba, Little.

HULL (4-4-2): Myhill 7, McShane 7, Turner 7, Zayatte 6, Ricketts 6, Marney 6 (Giannakopoulos 82, 6), Ashbee 7, Boateng 7 (Halmosi 72, 5), Geovanni 6, King 6 (Windass 72, 6), Cousin 6.

Subs Not Used: Duke, Doyle, Barmby, Garcia.

REFEREE: Stuart Attwell (Warwickshire) 7: Has endured his fair share of hard moments this season but he was impressive here.

MATCH RATING: *** Held the attention right to the end. Neither side deserved to lose.