Ipswich Town boss Kieran McKenna on Lee Evans and Marcus Harness

The pair returned to the starting line-up for the 3-0 victory over Oxford on Boxing Day, following knee injuries, with Harness missing a month following surgery and Evans spending two months on the sidelines. 

Both grew into the contest and ultimately played leading roles in the win, with McKenna happy to have them back. 

“Credit to them and credit to the medical staff they’ve worked with as well to get back in good time and in good condition,” McKenna said.

Lee Evans returned for Ipswich Town against Oxford (Image: Steve Waller) 

“I think they would both sit here and say they found the first 10 or 15 minutes really tough, physically, and getting the rhythm of the game from a technical point of view. 

“But once they both grew into it they were both excellent and both made big contributions and are going to be important for us. 

“Both offer qualities that are really important in this league and are big players for us and will be big players again for us. 

“We want to have that balance in the squad and that versatility in the squad where we have different profiles for different games at times and we can pick who suits what challenge ahead. 

Marcus Harness is back in action following a knee injury (Image: Ross Halls)

“That’s what we started the season with and we haven’t really had that for the last couple of months, but we hope to get back to that position again.” 

Tyreece John-Jules remains sidelined for at least a couple of months with a hamstring injury, while Dominic Ball’s season has almost certainly been ended by a knee injury suffered at Charlton. 

Panutche Camara is still out with an ongoing groin injury, which has required a third surgery and will likely keep him out of action for several months.