Ipswich Town manager Kieran McKenna has heaped praise on young midfielder Cameron Humphreys following his loan move to Wycombe Wanderers.
Having made 24 starts and 15 sub appearances for the Blues over three years, the 20-year-old midfielder is in the early stages of a first spell away from his hometown club.
And he got off to the perfect start by scoring a fine goal on his debut at the weekend, as the Chairboys won 2-0 at Rotherham in League One.
“As I've said many times, Cameron is such an important player for us," said McKenna.
“He's been a fantastic part of the success that we've had, I have to say, and people won't fully understand that.
“It’s maybe easier to understand that with a senior player, maybe a Kayden Jackson or Dominic Ball or Richard Keogh, players we've had over the years who maybe haven't played in every game, but have been a really important part of the group.
“But it's pretty unique when you have a 20-year-old who is also one of your standard bearers day to day, one of the best players in training day-in and day-out, is one of the most professional players in the group and the most committed players in the group.
“He's had a massive part in the success over the last couple of years. He had a big impact on the League One promotion season at a time when we were much shorter in numbers than we were last season.
“So he's a really important player for us and we think he's got a really good career ahead of him. He's had some good experiences here now as part of a successful group and the chance now is for him to go and get his first loan experience, and I'm sure he'll embrace it and take the challenge with both hands."
Homegrown centre-back Elkan Baggott, 21, is on loan at League One club Blackpool, this the Indonesian international's fifth spell away.
“He’s had another really good pre-season with us," said McKenna.
“But we know with young centre-backs, the most valuable thing you can get is game time and pick up those experiences.
“We're disappointed, of course, to hear that there’s a managerial change there so soon in the season (Neil Critchley was sacked last week, with Baggott’s former Town team-mate Keogh now in temporary charge), but Elkan’s such a committed and versatile player, he’ll work really hard to make it a successful loan."
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