Manager Mick McCarthy has been impressed with what he has seen of summer signing Elliott Hewitt but isn’t sure that now is the right time to bring him into his side. The 18-year-old right-back was brought to Portman Road by former boss Paul Jewell in the summer from Macclesfield.
Hewitt, who cost the Blues an initial £250,000 when he signed a three-year deal, underwent hip impingement operations while with the Silkmen last season and missed the start of this campaign.
Since returning to action with the Town U21 side, the Bodelwyddan-born defender has caught his new manager’s eye and has been included in the last two senior matchday squads.
But the Blues boss isn’t sure whether now is quite the time to blood the Welsh U21 international, believing that more seasoned professionals in the mould of new loan signing Bradley Orr are what’s needed given Town’s current struggles, while also concerned that the youngster might not yet be totally fit.
"I really like what I see with Elliott Hewitt,” he said. "But is it right for him to go in the team now? I’m not so sure he’s fully right having had his operations anyway.
"Some hard-nosed Championship experience is what is required, and Bradley has all of that. Already you can hear his voice. He trained with the kids last Wednesday and [U18s coach] Russell Osman said he was great with them.”
Before going under the surgeon’s knife, Hewitt had made 20 starts and five substitute appearances for the then-League Two club, having become the Cheshire club’s youngest-ever first team player when he made his debut in May 2011 at 16 years and 342 days.
In those 25 matches Hewitt had done enough to tempt the likes of Arsenal, Everton and Chelsea as well as Town to Moss Rose, and McCarthy says his previous club had also run the rule over him: "We were looking at him at Wolves, along with everybody else.
"There are no real secrets in football when good players, especially young ones who come on to the scene. I’m looking forward to seeing him fully fit.”