David Nugent, the Portsmouth striker, could make a return from injury against his old club in the FA Cup fifth round on Sunday. as Jermain Defoe is cup-tied.

Nugent has failed to score in any of his four league starts for Pompey but his cup form has been good, scoring in three of his four games this season, including the winner against Ipswich in the Third Round.

The 22-year-old has been unsettled at Portsmouth, since his summer transfer, almost moving to Derby before the season even started, and recently being linked with a return on loan to Preston North End.

Redknapp has ruled out the possibility of Nugent leaving and, even though he had a hernia operation just 17 days ago, Nugent should start, ahead of new signing Milan Baros and Nwankwo Kanu, who has returned from the African Cup of Nations.

“He’s getting fit and we are without Defoe on Sunday. So we’ll see how we go,” Redknapp said from Portsmouth’s training camp in Marbella.

Only Sulley Muntari - just back from Ghana’s Nations Cup campaign - is missing from Pompey’s squad in Spain and Redknapp is hoping that Sylvain Distin, who has missed the last two games with a hamstring injury, will be fit to face Preston.