Town boss Mick McCarthy says Nathan Ellington has moved to Scunthorpe on loan because the striker needs to play games. The 31-year-old, whose Blues contract is up in the summer, is in League One with the Iron until January 5th.
Ellington moved to the Lincolnshire club on Friday and made his debut as an 83rd minute sub in Saturday’s 2-2 home draw with Notts County with his side down to 10 men.
McCarthy said: "He needs to play some football. As far as I’m aware he hasn’t played a great deal, so he needs to have some games.”
Asked whether the switch would mark the end of Ellington’s somewhat underwhelming time at Town, the Blues boss added: "I can’t be dismissing anybody at this minute in time, he might get a game in the back four!”
Scunthorpe boss Brian Laws outlined his rationale for bringing in Ellington, who is viewed as a replacement for another loanee Leon Clarke, who expected to return to parent club Charlton having netted 10 goals while at Glanford Park: "We are never in a position to bring in somebody who is scoring on a regular basis.
"They are already in somebody's first team and way out of our range. So we have to look at players who we think could potentially do a job for us and Nathan fits into that.
"He has had a good career and been there and done it at the highest level.
"For whatever reason it isn't working at Ipswich for him so we get to bring him here. Hopefully he can make the same impact as Leon Clarke has."