Redknapp - still looking to strengthenPortsmouth manager Harry Redknapp is still trying to beat next Friday's transfer deadline after midfielder Pedro Mendes was laid out and spent the night in a Manchester hospital after a crunching challenge by City's Ben Thatcher.
Redknapp is already without strikers Lomana LuaLua "long term" with ankle ligament damage, Ivica Mornar (hamstring) and goalkeepers Dean Kiely (thigh) and Jamie Ashdown (broken thumb).
Nick Jordan, 16, is currently doing substitutes' bench duty as cover for new signing David James but Redknapp is reluctant to use up one of his two remaining loan-deal allowances on a short-term replacement.
He has been pipped by Newcastle for £10million Nigeria striker Obafemi Martins and his bid to sign Udinese midfielder Sulley Muntari has been blocked by the Italian club's demand for a similar fee.
Now he has been linked with a move for Egyptian target man Mido, who left Tottenham after an 18-month loan deal finished at the end of last season and failed to agree terms with Blackburn.
His Italian club Roma are said to want £5million for his permanent transfer - money which Pompey could easily afford with the financial backing of new owner Alexandre Gaydamak but Redknapp has promised: "I won't spend his money unnecessarily."
He admits to missing out on big targets like Jermain Defoe (Tottenham), Nicolas Anelka (Fenerbahce), Curtis Davies (West Brom) and Stilian Petrov (Celtic) because "clubs just don't want to sell their good players".
But even with the return of Serbian winger Ognjen Koroman on a year-long loan from Russian club Terek Grozny, Redknapp has only three fit strikers - Benjani Mwaruwari, Svetoslav Todorov and Kanu - and two left-sided players - Matt Taylor and skipper Dejan Stefanovic.
Pompey have breathing space before their next game which is at Middlesbrough, conquerors of champions Chelsea, at the Riverside on Monday night, but Mendes - who will continue to be under medical and neurological" supervision for the next few days must already be a doubt for the trip.
Redknapp said: "We need at last two more (players) in but what we need and what we get are two different things. We have brought five in but four were free (transfers or loans) plus David James.
"We need two more before the deadline but it is very difficult to find players. We need some pace up front."
Yet Redknapp is reasonably satisfied with Pompey's unbeaten start - despite a dull, goalless encounter at City.
He said: "It was a scrappy old game. Four points, great start. I would like to see us play a bit more football than that. I want us to keep the ball a bit better.
"Results have been OK. Saturday was a good performance, but at City we just scrapped.
"At least we have looked solid. David James has come in and done well. Sol Campbell has been solid with Linvoy (Primus), which is encouraging. We had two of the best chances at City and could have had a penalty but, overall, it wasn't great."
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