Massimo Luongo is an Ipswich Town player once again.
The Australian, now 30, is back with the Blues a little more than a decade on from his first spell, which saw him play nine times in an Ipswich shirt during a temporary stay from Tottenham.
A lot has happened since then, both for Luongo and Ipswich, but the two come together now at a time when Kieran McKenna’s side are making a serious push for promotion.
So, where does Luongo fit?
Well, the obvious answer is as one of the central midfield two in McKenna’s system. Because he’s a central midfielder.
But he will likely fill much of the role left vacant by Dominic Ball’s season-ending knee injury.
Luongo doesn’t quite have the same physical stature as the Blues’ summer signing but he does possess some of the same attributes, with the ability to break play up and use the ball cleverly and sensibly when he gets it, allowing him to free up his midfield partner and those in front of him to get forward.
In his younger days, Luongo was more of a box-to-box player and, while he will undoubtedly still possess the same creativity he always has, he’s became more of a facilitator.
Sheffield Wednesday fans will tell you his presence, when he wasn’t being hampered by knee injuries, was a major factor in Barry Bannan’s incredible form in a more advanced role.
So Luongo could be seen, maybe, as a Lee Evans deputy in this Ipswich squad with Sam Morsy and Cameron Humphreys the remaining members of what is now a midfield quartet.
Panutche Camara’s groin injury is an ongoing concern which, you have to fear, may keep him out for the vast majority of the season, if not all of it.
But Town seem happy with their lot, for now, meaning any interest in Jack Taylor of Peterborough has cooled following significant discussions with Posh regarding a fee.
Luongo is raring to go once again and, listening to him speak, knows his role is a supporting one.
We are likely to get our first (or second) look against Rotherham tomorrow.
Crossing paths
Born in Sydney to a mother and father with Indonesian and Italian heritage respectively, Luongo grew up playing football in the suburbs before a trial with Tottenham, thousands of miles away, changed his life.
It was at Spurs where Luongo and Town boss McKenna first crossed paths, with the latter in the early days of his coaching career in the club’s academy after his playing career was ended by injury.
Luongo was part of a talented youth team including Harry Kane, Ryan Mason, Alex Pritchard, Nathan Byrne, John Bostock and former Ipswich midfielder Tom Carroll but, one League Cup appearance from the bench aside, wasn’t able to reach the Spurs first-team before leaving for good in 2013.
As a young man Luongo spent much of his Tottenham career out on loan (which we will look at shortly), meaning he and McKenna didn’t work directly together on too many occasions, but they kept in touch.
“At Spurs we crossed paths,” Luongo said of his new boss. “I was on loan a lot then but he’s said he has kept track of my career this whole time. We had a good chat when Ipswich and Sheffield Wednesday played last season.
“We’ve always had mutual friends in football so we’ve always crossed paths. It’s funny how things happen.”
Reflecting on his time at Tottenham in a 2015 interview, he said: “It was the choice of managers at the time which didn't suit me.
“I think for a lot of players now, it didn't suit them when Harry (Redknapp) was in charge, but for me I got a lot of exposure to the first team and my debut from it. Had things been different, who knows what it could have turned out to be?
“AVB (Andre Villas-Boas) came in and that was probably when I made my decision to leave permanently rather than on loan because it pushed me further and further away from the first team.”
First time around
Rolling back to 2012, 19-year-old Luongo was placed at Portman Road by Tottenham as he experienced senior football for the first time.
Signed by Paul Jewell, he initially impressed alongside fellow youngster Luke Hyam, in the wake of Jimmy Bullard’s exit, with the then Town boss saying: “He’s done really well for us, he’s very calm on the ball, he’s young and hungry, but he’s only 19 and it’s important that we don’t expect too much of him.”
The Aussie started eight of Town’s first nine matches that season but then fell away from the team, before being sent back to Tottenham by Mick McCarthy soon after he replaced Jewell.
Luongo said of his Town loan: “I came in as a defensive midfield player. The gaffer just said to me ‘do what you do best, break up play and keep it simple’. I don’t think he realised I had a lot more in my locker.
“I would say I’m a deep-lying midfielder who can get on the ball and get the team playing. At Tottenham there are lot more players who are better technically than me, so I just tended to sit and do the defensive work.”
The youngster’s only Town goal came in a Capital One Cup defeat by Carlisle.
The growth years
After a few months back at Tottenham, Luongo took his career up a gear as he finished the season on loan at Swindon in League One.
He was an instant hit in Wiltshire, arriving at the business end of the season under manager Kevin MacDonald and quickly becoming a vital, creative, member of the side.
Luongo scored in the first-leg of the Robins’ League One play-off semi-final clash with Brentford before a dramatic second finished in a 3-3 drawnand a heartbreaking penalty shootout loss at Griffin Park.
Swindon’s unofficial link with Tottenham, brokered by Tim Sherwood’s friendship with Robins owner Lee Power, saw Luongo return to the County Ground on loan at the start of the following season, along with Spurs team-mates Byrne, Pritchard and Mason. A few weeks later Luongo’s move became permanent for £400,000 during a season in which a talented young side just missed the play-offs.
The following year everything clicked and, now under Mark Cooper, Luongo led from the front as Swindon challenged for automatic promotion but slipped into the lottery of the play-offs, beating Sheffield United over two legs before ultimately losing the final to Preston following Jermaine Beckford’s hat-trick.
After that game, a superb third-tier side now including Wes Foderingham, Jack Stephens, Harry Toffolo and Michael Smith was broken up.
Luongo joined QPR in a big money move which saw him and Ben Gladwin head to Loftus Road for a combined £3million.
The Championship years
Luongo had graduated to the Championship by this point and became a consistent performer, first during four seasons with Rangers which saw him make 152 appearances for the club during that time, signing in the wake of their most-recent Premier League relegation.
He played for a revolving door of managers with the Hoops, starting with his former Tottenham coach Chris Ramsey and also including Neil Warnock, Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink, Steve McClaren and Ian Holloway. Quite the list, but none achieved a finish higher than 12th.
Luongo captained QPR on a handful of occasions but left for Sheffield Wednesday in 2019, starting well at Hillsborough as he impressed as something of a box-to-box midfielder.
He was a regular in season one but knee injuries hit during his second year with the Owls, restricting him to 13 appearances during a campaign where his side were relegated to League One.
The Australian was back in action regularly in the third-tier, though, helping his side make the play-offs before a two-legged loss to Sunderland which signaled the end of his time with the club.
He left at the end of his contract, signing a short-term deal with Middlesbrough but not making a single appearance on Teesside, prior to a spell training with Ipswich and ultimately signing a deal until the end of the season.
The MVP
Luongo has represented Australia 43 times – something he is rightfully very proud of, to the extent he has his international squad number, 21, tattooed on his arm.
Making his debut in March 2014, as a League One player with Swindon, Luongo went to both the 2014 and 2018 World Cups with his country but didn’t play any minutes at either tournament as the Aussies were knocked out in the group stage.
His finest hour on the international stage, though, was undoubtedly the 2015 Asian Cup, played in his homeland.
Luongo was a central figure throughout, scoring in both the opening game and the final, netting from outside the box as his team beat South Korea in Sydney to lift the trophy.
His displays earned him the Most Valuable Player (MVP) award for the entire tournament as well as a place on the Ballon d’Or. A ridiculous achievement for a player operating in the third tier of English football.
“I didn't even know if it was real … I thought it was someone trying to be funny,” Luongo said, when discovering his nomination.
“It's obviously a big honour, not many people get on it, I can say I've been on the Ballon d'Or list now. I don't know what to say about it … it's a bit random.”
Lionel Messi ultimately won the award, ahead of Cristiano Ronaldo and Neymar in the voting.
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