Ipswich Town: The state of play with Town's squad ahead of final games

The Blues never really got going, and perhaps that isn’t a huge surprise. Even manager Kieran McKenna highlighted that fact that they ‘really went to the wire in the two previous games’ and 'have some physical issues in the camp due to illness and injury’.

With that in mind, this might be the perfect time to start using the full depth of the squad. Town have home games against Watford and Middlesbrough coming up in the next few days, so they may look to freshen things up.

Alex Jones takes a look at potential changes and provides an update on Town’s injured quartet, who might yet have a part to play in the home stretch of the automatic promotion race.

Harry Clarke's only start since February 20th came in the 2-1 defeat at Cardiff City (Image: Ross Halls)

Defence

Defensively, Town have tightened up a bit since the 4-3 win against Rotherham United. Yes, Bristol City and Southampton both bagged two at Portman Road, but both games ended in wins for the home team.

That’s a big reason why Axel Tuanzebe has kept his place at right-back for so long. Since the aforementioned victory against the Millers and the subsequent improvement at the back, the former Manchester United man has started in seven of eight games, playing at right-back ahead of Harry Clarke.

He’s looked pretty good, but this is his extended run of football in a long time, having dealt with numerous injury issues before his move to Suffolk. Perhaps that began to show a bit against Norwich, indicating that Clarke should come back in despite looking like a valuable option off the bench.

Jack Taylor hasn't started a league game for Town since January 13th (Image: Ross Halls)

Midfield

Massimo Luongo doesn’t look himself. He looked tired and leggy in the win against Southampton and that seemingly carried into the derby defeat. On the other hand, Jack Taylor was lively off the bench against the Saints and perhaps unfortunate to miss out on a place in the lineup at Carrow Road.

The game against Watford looks like a perfect opportunity to make that switch, giving Luongo a week to rest ahead of a tough test against Middlesbrough on Saturday.

Ahead of the double pivot, all three players behind the striker struggled against the Canaries. Chaplin is unlikely to be dropped without an injury, but perhaps we could see Marcus Harness and Jeremy Sarmiento step into the team.

Both have struggled to put in consistent performances when named in the lineup, but they should be feeling fresh, and that would allow Nathan Broadhead and Omari Hutchinson to have a bit of a breather and shine off the bench in the last 20/30 minutes of the match.

Ali Al-Hamadi is still looking for his first start in an Ipswich shirt (Image: Ross Halls)

Attack

Pretty simple this one – Kieffer Moore isn’t at it. He poured his heart and soul into Wales’ EURO 2024 play-off clash against Poland, playing the full 120 minutes and scoring his penalty, and he would’ve been gutted that the night ended in defeat. He then returned to Ipswich, travelled up to Blackburn and started for the Blues in a 1-0 win at Ewood Park just 72 hours later.

Although he’s a remarkable athlete who’ll battle through almost any pain, he broke down against Southampton and had to come off with what McKenna described as ‘severe back spasms’. He was a surprise inclusion against Norwich, which gave supporters extra confidence heading into the derby, but he didn’t look anywhere near as mobile as he is at his best.

This is the perfect time for Ali Al-Hamadi to come into the team. The young striker had a good chance to score late on against the Canaries and, in hindsight, he probably should’ve started the game. If he comes in against Watford, it’d allow Moore to have a full week to get himself back in top shape ahead of the Boro clash.

We know what he’s like, however. The 31-year-old will never say he’s not fit to play. This might be one that McKenna has to take out of his hands to prepare him for the final four games of the season.

Wes Burns has had two scans on his injured hamstring (Image: Stephen Waller)

Wes Burns

Wes Burns’ season isn’t necessarily over. The winger injured his hamstring in the 6-0 win against Sheffield Wednesday, having been on a hot run of form, and McKenna feared the worst.

He’s had two scans since that time, and while we’re still waiting on a timeframe for his return, the manager is optimistic that he can feature before the end of the season.

“The scan was a positive,” he said after the defeat to Norwich. “There’s no guarantees yet, but we’re certainly more optimistic that we’ll see him before the end of the season.”

George Hirst has stepped up his rehabilitation in the last few weeks (Image: Ross Halls)

George Hirst

George Hirst suffered a similar injury in the early stages of the 1-1 draw against Leicester City on Boxing Day, but unfortunately, the damage was much worse than Burns endured. McKenna knew at the time that he’d miss most of the season, aiming for a return towards the end of the campaign.

The good news is that he’s getting ever closer, and he’s now on grass ahead of the next step of his rehabilitation. However, with five games left, there’s only a limited time to get him involved. After so long on the sidelines, he’ll need to be eased back into the team.

Although we may not see a great deal of him until pre-season, the two-week break between the home game against Middlesbrough and the trip to Hull City may provide him with an opportunity to prove his fitness for the final week of the promotion race.

Janoi Donacien has made more appearances for Saint Lucia than Ipswich since August 19th (Image: Ross Halls)

Janoi Donacien

It’s not looking too good for Janoi Donacien, who hasn’t featured since the 3-1 defeat to Fulham in the Carabao Cup on November 1st.

The versatile defender came off with an adductor injury in the early stages of the 1-0 win at QPR back in August, and although he returned to Town's squad soon after and even featured twice for Saint Lucia during the October international break, the issue hasn’t gone away.

He underwent surgery on his groin earlier this year after seeing a specialist, but McKenna revealed that he’s suffered setbacks since then, explaining that he ‘hasn’t made the progress that he would’ve hoped or we would’ve hoped’.

The manager was keen to get him back on grass during the international break, but it remains to be seen whether he’ll have a part to play before the end of the season.

Brandon Williams has been back with parent club Manchester United since the start of 2024 (Image: Ross Halls)

Brandon Williams

Brandon Williams saw his game time decrease towards the end of 2023 due to repeated illnesses and ‘knocks’. He returned to parent club Manchester United for a medical assessment earlier this year, with McKenna stating on February 4th that he hoped the full-back could resume training with Ipswich in ’10-14 days’.

He’s since appeared in Crewe Magistrates’ Court to deny dangerous driving and using a car without third party insurance – charges which date back to August 20th, 2023.

McKenna refused to rule out the possibility of him resuming his loan spell with the Blues, but that looks increasingly unlikely with so few games left to play.

 "The situation hasn't really changed in that it's out of our hands,” he said at the end of March. “Brandon's a Man United player, he's been back at Man United for the last few months and there has to be a certain level of readiness for him to come back here and be ready to contribute.

"If he doesn't reach that readiness before the end of the season, then he won't return. If he was able to reach that readiness, then it would be another option for us towards the end of the season.

"He's a player who doesn’t belong to our club, as such, so it’s a matter for Man United at the moment."