George Hirst has said that the international break will help Town players representing their countries to rest while staying ‘switched on’.

The striker, who previously spoke about his desire to represent England in the long-term future, has represented the Three Lions at every level between under-17’s and under-20’s.

He did so while playing for Sheffield Wednesday and Belgian side OH Leuven, featuring in a variety of tournaments such the 2017 Toulon Tournament, where he was named in the Team of the Tournament for helping his side win the competition.

He isn’t one of the six Ipswich players called up for international duty this month, but having experienced the breaks himself, he believes that they’ll benefit from playing in a different environment before returning to Portman Road.

“I used to go away with the youth teams, and you’d play with the best players in the world at your age,” he explained. “England, throughout the youth teams, are always one of the best teams in the world.

“I know it was a bit different for me because I was at Sheffield Wednesday at the time where I was meeting up with the boys from Arsenal, Chelsea, Man City, those kinds of teams.

“It was a different style of football, but it was good to see different faces, different buildings, different coaches and a different way of working. It keeps you switched on.

“Rather than having a rest, you’re resting away from Ipswich, but you’re still working at the same time, which is quite a nice feeling. It’s not a bad thing.”