Portsmouth’s Niko Kranjcar will be out of action for at least three months after undergoing surgery on his ankle injury today.

The midfielder had suffered a ruptured ankle ligament whilst on international duty with Croatia in their match against Slovenia. Kranjcar went under the knife this morning and a club statement on the official site indicates that it will be “an estimated eight-to-12 weeks on the sidelines before being able to play first-team football again”.

Kranjcar’s absence will come as a major blow to Harry Redknapp who has seen his side draw blanks in their opening two games against Chelsea and United. It seems likely that he will now have to turn to recent signings Jerome Thomas and Armand Traore to fill the void on the left side of midfield. Both could be of interest to fantasy managers, particularly Traore who is classed as defender. However, you have to consider how Kranjcar’s absence will hamper Pompey’s overall creativity and the supply to Crouch and Defoe.