Ronan Curtis insists he is ‘good to go’ for Portsmouth’s Checkatrade Trophy final against Sunderland on Sunday at Wembley.
The St Johnston man has missed the last couple of weeks – including the Republic of Ireland’s Euro 2020 qualifiers against Gibraltar and Georgia – after suffering a freak injury.
A door slammed on Curtis’ hand as he was heading out to Portsmouth’s game against Walsall.
Curtis – who has had a superb season for Pompey since moving from Derry City in the summer – required surgery to save a finger, but is poised to make his return and a first Wembley appearance this weekend.
“I couldn’t train for the first two weeks in case of infection from sweat and that might have meant I’d have lost it,” Curtis said.
“But now the wound has closed up and the stitches have healed, so I’m good to go.
“Words can’t describe how sore it felt. I thought I’d be out for a long time. It was a really bad injury. You just don’t really know how sore it can be until it happens to yourself.
“I managed to get three fingers out of the way, but that one stayed in and the door chopped it off. The doctor said four-to-six weeks, but the surgeons have done a good job, stitched it up and saved the finger.”
Curtis admits that he was disappointed to miss out on the international games – the first for this Irish group under McCarthy, who spoke in glowing terms about Curtis, whom he watched score against Charlton at The Valley.
Curtis said: “This is the first time I’ve been injured all season. I was freaking out I’d be out for a long time.
“I missed the two internationals against Gibraltar and Georgia, but I’m back at the club and focusing on the games ahead. Mick McCarthy’s been great and we’ve spoken on a couple of occasions.”
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