Striker David McGoldrick will miss Saturday’s trip to Charlton and probably the home game against Middlesbrough the following Friday due to his groin problem, but better news is that winger Ryan Fraser is closing in on a return to fitness.

McGoldrick has been out of action with the injury since before the international break and remains sidelined.

“He’s not fit, he’s not been out on the training ground now for a couple of weeks,” manager Mick McCarthy said.

“He’s still having his treatment, still having his rehab. No chance for Saturday and I think it’s unlikely we’ll be looking at him next weekend as well.”

He says the Ireland international, who missed much of the second half of the previous two seasons with injuries, is frustrated to again be out of action: “I’ll be honest with you, he does seem a bit down, but then all players do when they’re injured.

“You don’t see many of them with a big smile on their face because if you do the manager says ‘What are you smiling at? You’re injured’. That’s what used to happen anyway.

“We’re just desperate to get him back fit. Yes, we’re playing well and we look a real threat but he’s a terrific player and we need him fit.

“Everyone else is fit except The Bish [Teddy Bishop], we’re still looking after him and we’re still getting him to the point where he can come and compete and not be worried about his hamstring. Everybody else is fine.”

Loanee Fraser has been out of action since suffering a knee ligament injury while on Scotland U21 duty at the start of October but McCarthy says he’s not far from making his return to Portman Road having undergone his rehab back with his parent club Bournemouth.

“I spoke to him earlier in the week, Monday evening, and he’s done all his running, twisting and turning and he’s hoping to be back involved with the ball this week with the squad down at Bournemouth.

“I fully understand. If he was my player I wouldn’t let him go out of the door until he was 100 per cent coming here.

“Obviously the temptation is for a manager who has got somebody on loan who is as good a player as Ryan is to bring him back and say ‘Can you play?’. The player’s natural desire is to play whether he’s 100 per cent or not - ‘I’ll be OK, gaffer, I’m fine, get me out there’.

“We don’t want any of that, I want him 100 per cent. He was hoping by the end of the week having done some football but, if that’s that case, I think it’s more likely to be the end of next week that we’ll be getting him back.”

Photo: Action Images

cooper4england added 15:21 - Nov 26 Am I the only one whose getting more and more concerned about the extent of Teddy's injury? Really want to see him back.
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vanmunt added 15:33 - Nov 26 Yep cooper, where the hell is Teddy.. he was the stand out player for me last year (he was fantastic in the home win against Boro), how long does it take for a young player to regain fitness, what is going on.
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scott91itfc added 15:38 - Nov 26 Think the issue is the type of injury he has, shin splints i believe and a persistent hamstring problem are dangerous to young players! Rush him back to soon and it could be the last we see of him full stop, look at other youngsters pushed too early who missed out on the best years of their careers? Dyer and Owen for example..... Best that we leave our physio's etc to do what they are doing. They are the professionals after all!!

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TimmyH added 17:14 - Nov 26 Yes the big topic is how MM then accommodates Douglas as soon as Fraser is back, do we need Douglas pressing forwards as well?. Fraser likes to play with the ball at feet and create out left but we've found out the gung ho approach leaves us very susceptible on the break, we all have found out how lackluster Douglas has been as a more holding player.
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blueboy1981 added 17:17 - Nov 26 ....... no surprise there with McGoldrick - problem is with his injury record can't see too many clubs queuing up for his signature in the future. Hindsight is a wonderful thing - but if the alleged £7m bid was actual, some time back now, that would have been good business.
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jas0999 added 18:42 - Nov 26 McGoldricks injury record is very poor. We may have to sign a replacement if it continues. Having four strikers is an advantage, particularly when three start. We currently lack striker options on the bench. AMN aside, we had few impact, creative options on the bench Saturday and that needs addressing.
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Ipswichbusiness added 20:11 - Nov 26 I know that Douglas has done well recently, but my answer would be simply to drop him and play Bishop (when fit) alongside Skuse
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armchaircritic59 added 20:59 - Nov 26 As scott91itfc said, shin splints can be a big problem. I did a bit of running back in the day, and the main reason i stopped was pain down the shin area. I think you'll find the only "cure" for shin splints is to stop doing whatever it is that's causing them! I wonder if the hamstring thing, while maybe true ,is a bit of a cover for the shin splints?
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Pilgrimblue added 09:40 - Nov 27 I'm not at all hopeful that McG will make it into MM team. Bru is looking good and with Bish and Fraser back we have plenty of options. If we played 442 then id have Sears in forward role with Bru/Douglas central and Skuse mopping up. That will allow Fraser and Bish to return when they're ready and give MM a headache. Plus of course we've got pprospect of Vardy signing!

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Pilgrimblue added 09:49 - Nov 27 sorry meant Varney!
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Seasider added 15:32 - Nov 27 Wish Vardy was signing
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