Pack 'in a much better position than we thought'

Portsmouth midfielder Marlon Pack has returned to training and not yet been ruled out for the South Coast derby against Southampton on Sunday (12:00 BST).

The 34-year-old underwent knee surgery in August and was projected to be out for six weeks, however his recovery is going better than expected.

"Marlon is good. He's been back doing a little bit of training this week so he's progressing really well," boss John Mousinho told BBC Radio Solent.

"Whether he's involved on Sunday or not, I don't know, but he's in a much better position than we thought he would be at this stage."

Sunday is the first time the two rivals have met since Pack returned to the club in 2022, though the veteran is no stranger to a derby day.

"He obviously has grown up as a Portsmouth fan and a season ticket holder," Mousinho added.

"I think he's been to plenty of these games, never played in one of them... I'm sure he'll be excited to be involved in any capacity."

There have been no additional injuries to the squad over international break, with Mousinho confirming that midfielder Adrian Segecic is "fine" despite missing Australia's friendly against New Zealand on Tuesday.

Listen to the full pre-match interview with Mousinho and more Portsmouth content on BBC Sounds.