Boss Roy Keane expects Tommy Smith to push for a place in the first team this season after his exploits with New Zealand at the World Cup. The central defender has been given an extra three weeks off to recover from the All Whites’ unbeaten campaign in South Africa.
Keane said: "I thought he did reasonably well, the experience will do him the world of good.
"For Tommy to go to the World Cup and have a decent campaign, he’ll be a much better player for it.
"I’m looking forward to Tommy coming back in two or three weeks and, having played in the World Cup, he’ll be fighting to get into our starting XI in the Championship. Competition can only be good for our club.”
Smith played in all New Zealand's games, helping them to three draws which saw them narrowly miss out on qualification for the knockout stages but still finish ahead of Italy in their group. The 20-year-old is due back at Portman Road on July 16th.