Town boss Mick McCarthy says loanee Luke Varney has been offered the use of the Blues’ medical facilities while he recovers from the ruptured achilles he suffered in last Saturday’s 1-1 Championship play-off semi-final first leg draw with Norwich City. The 32-year-old, who McCarthy plans to talk to about a contract with Town once he's fit, was forced off after 31 minutes and now faces at least six months on the sidelines.

“He snapped his achilles, he was operated on in the week by James Calder up in London, who I can highly recommend because he did my ankle,” McCarthy said.

“It was a success, he’s done it, it’s fine. He’s now laid up and it’s going to be quite a while before he’s doing anything.

“It’s very sad and sad he can’t be with us on Saturday. Hopefully he can be with us at Wembley. Let’s hope that’s the case.”

Despite Varney having been on loan from Blackburn, who are contractually responsible for getting the striker back to fitness, McCarthy says Town owner Marcus Evans has given the OK for the former Leeds man to recuperate with the Blues.

“I’ve already spoken to Marcus, we’ve agreed to look after him and he can come and stay down here and we’ll make sure he’s fit,” he added.

“He’s got all our facilities and the medical care and attention we’d give to any one of our players. He won’t be our player but we’ve got to take care of him.

“We’ve already agreed that so hopefully he’ll take that offer up and then, when he is fit, we can discuss doing something with him, if that’s what he wants to do.

“Primarily it’s a thank-you to him for what he’s done and what he’s brought since he’s been here.

“He’s been great, he’s a super fella. I always thought he was my type of player when he played against us and he’s lived up to my expectations and I think the lads were really disappointed that he had such a nasty injury.”

As for the fitness of the rest of his squad ahead of Saturday’s play-off second leg, McCarthy says Luke Hyam is the only player who will miss out.

“Luke Hyam is training but he’s nowhere near fit enough to be involved,” he said. “But it’s great to see him back out on the training ground.

“His concentration’s got to be on getting fit and being ready to go at the start of next season now. He’s been training all week and you can see he’s getting fitter and stronger, which is nice to see.”

The Town boss says David McGoldrick, who was back on the bench on Saturday after his thigh problem, is keen to get involved again and is looking sharper.

“He was disappointed that he didn’t get a chance last week but it wasn’t the game for him," the Town boss continued. "We weren’t the dominant force looking to get a goal.

“Having had Reg [Varney] go off and we had Bish, who was struggling at the end of the game, I needed players at full tilt, not someone who might be knackered after 10 minutes.

“But he’s different, he’s had another week’s training and he’s looking really sharp. He’s ready to go.”

Photo: Action Images

ArnieM added 14:54 - May 14 C'mon Reg! Hurry up and get fit mate. You've unfinished business with Town.
10

Infinidi added 15:05 - May 14 Didsy's champing at the bit! Can't wait!
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Steve_M added 15:05 - May 14 Another example of Mick's man management and the inclusive nature of ITFC these days (well to those who respect the club and the manager anyway).
20

nhabo added 15:06 - May 14 Proud of our club to do that for Varney. Kudos to all involved.
18

ThatMuhrenCross added 15:14 - May 14 I heard that Paul Anderson was going to pay his medical bills...
15

Orraman added 15:15 - May 14 This shows that ITFC have once again got the class for which we were once famous. Sincerely hope we do see Reg back in the blue shirt next season
16

billlm added 15:21 - May 14 Well done itfc
7

TR11BLU added 15:22 - May 14 Agree with above posts, we are once again getting back to the values that made this club great... and were famous for it too. Hats off to MM who will have played a big part, but also to ME. Despite a lot of the doubters, he has proved that he is a decent man with the good of our club at heart. Now come on Boys, lets pull together, beat the budgies and converge on Wembley Monday week.............................

13

horsehollerer added 15:23 - May 14 How heartening is it to be reading these types of stories about Town ... instead of stories about players beating up bouncers, or players showing up late to training after nights on the lash, or players being followed by debt recovery "agents"? We really do have our football club back, and it feels great. Thank you Marcus and Mick. COYB!
16

Arthur added 15:27 - May 14 Another reason why I love this club. Speedy recovery Luke!
7

hoppy added 15:52 - May 14 Actually, ThatMuhrenCross, he's only going to go halves on it, as Tyrone said he wanted to pay for them...
3

BackTheBlues added 15:52 - May 14 I never became completely disillusioned with the club, but in the Keane days, I had my doubts about our future and had many a moan and a rant about a man who didn't want to be seen as our owner and the state the club was in... However, in keeping the faith, ME has learnt and each week for the last 3 to 4 months has shown the fans that he is in this club and committed - from spending money on Sears, taking pictures with fans to this latest story for varney! We love our club, we always have, but now there are the right people running almost all areas of the club, the 'big love him' is growing 10 fold! Let's top it Saturday!

12

ThatMuhrenCross added 16:02 - May 14 hoppy - ah really? The version I heard was that Tyrone was paying off his mortgage and buying him a new shirt!!
0

christiand added 16:03 - May 14 That's why players want to play for MM (Well part from Roy Keane!!!) and why they run through walls for him! Great work, only serves to enhance the reputation of our club!
8

ghostofescobar added 16:18 - May 14 What a great story and says an awful lot about MM, ME and the club in general. Wonder of Look Norwich will be reporting on this positive ITFC story?
5

mrivancampo added 16:24 - May 14 Why are we spending Marcus' money on varney when he is injured and not going to give anything back? Mcgoldrick should start Saturday, play him behind Sears and murph. Also bring hyam back in to stop thier midfield and wipe a few of them out. Scummers
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PJH added 16:27 - May 14 As all are saying,it reflects very well on ME,MM and ITFC. Some clubs would have taken the attitude that "he is not our player so he is not our problem". Also great news about Didz-if he finally gets back on the pitch during a game and shows what he can do maybe the "McGoldrick is sulking" theory can at last be laid to rest. COYB
5

Eireannach_gorm added 16:53 - May 14 That's how you build team spirit. Luke would not be a vital member of the team but it sends out the signal that if you give your all for the club, you will be looked after. Well done to all involved in the decision.
6

warktheline added 16:59 - May 14 What you put in, you get out. Class. Enough said.
6

jas0999 added 18:09 - May 14 Quite right too. Blackburn should of course be taking on thus responsibility, but I wouldn't mind betting our facilities are better.
2

masetheace added 18:33 - May 14 mrivancompo - hope your post is tongue in cheek . If not , word fail me
2

halsteadblue added 18:58 - May 14 This is why we love our club so much,and why we should consider us very lucky to have MM and Co at our great club,well done one and all..........COYB
2

Dozzells_Bobblehat added 19:54 - May 14 I echo the above positive posts. MM and ME may have their faults but I really can't believe there are people out there moaning about them. The transformation in our club over the last two years is massive. Let's hope it continues and develops at the same rate.
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clive_baker added 20:04 - May 14 Touch of class. And how nice would it be for him to come off the bench for us at PR around October / November next season to 30,000 fans singing 'there's only one Luke Varney' vs. Manchester United? Hope he gets fit and earns that contract with us in the Premier League.
1

truckertractorboy added 20:30 - May 14 Proud thats all im saying
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