Roy Hodgson has insisted he is not pining for Jimmy Bullard, even though Fulham have yet to win in the Premier League since the mercurial midfielder last played for the west London side.

Bullard, transferred to Hull City for £5million last Friday, made his final start for Fulham at Tottenham Hotspur on Boxing Day when he limped off in the first half with a dead leg.

In the three League games prior to what turned out to be a goalless stalemate at White Hart Lane, a Bullard-boosted Fulham won against Middlesbrough and chalked up draws against Stoke City and Manchester City.

In the three League games since the Spurs encounter, a Fulham team lacking Bullard's energy and bustle drew against title-chasing Chelsea but then suffered consecutive defeats at West Ham and Sunderland.

However, ahead of tomorrow's game at home to Portsmouth, Hodgson lent full support to his new midfield pairing of Danny Murphy Dickson Etuhu.

He said: "Jimmy is a quality player but I don't know that he could have done more for us at Sunderland. We worked hard, the team played well. Etuhu had an excellent game in the centre of the midfield, Murphy is still playing as well as ever.

"I think it would be wrong to say that we missed Jimmy. But he is a quality player and there are going to be occasions, when we lose, where people are going to say he would have made a difference.

"Unfortunately, people who don't play always have good games."

Hodgson's need to replace Bullard and reinforce his goal-shy strike force in a squad already short on numbers has seen him linked with Tom Huddlestone of Spurs, Leeds United's teenage prospect Fabian Delph, Joe Ledley of Cardiff City and Manchester City's Ecuadorian Felipe Caicedo.

With the closing of the transfer window looming on Monday, Hodgson is clearly frustrated at not securing a signing.

"It is a question of finding the right person," he said. "We don't have much time and it seems that the prices are very inflated."

Fulham are likely to be unchanged against Portsmouth. Pompey boss Tony Adams will give a late test to Sol Campbell who limped out of the midweek defeat against Aston Villa with a hip injury.