Aaron Mclean is refusing to rule out the possibility of joining Ipswich on a permanent basis.
The 29-year-old striker, who is on loan for the remainder of the season from Hull, agrees it would probably not be difficult to persuade him to extend his stay at Portman Road.
He said: "It’s possible but first and foremost I need to do well for Ipswich and myself. That’s my main aim, to make sure we have a good, strong finish to the end of the season.
"Ipswich is definitely a club that I’d love to join. I was excited about coming here initially so there’s no reason, if things go well, why I couldn’t stay.”
Several other Championship clubs, including play-off hopefuls Millwall, were keen to snap up the ex-Peterborough striker — but once he weighed up his options Mclean was always going to head for Suffolk.
He added: "The chance to come and work with Mick McCarthy, to return down south and be at such a massive club as Ipswich was a great offer for me and one that I was more than happy to take.
"Mick came in for me when he was at Wolves but Peterborough weren’t willing to sell me at that time. He was always a manager that I was desperate to work with. Players I’d played alongside and who had worked under him all said good things.
"It was the same with Terry Connor and since I’ve been here Terry’s sessions have been unbelievable. Coming here and actually seeing it with my own eyes, the people I spoke to before were all spot-on.”
Mclean has no idea whether he figures in the future plans of Hull boss Steve Bruce, who has given the Tigers a fighting chance of claiming automatic promotion back to the Premiership.
He said: "I don’t know the situation. All season he was saying I was in his plans and obviously I was in every squad — but I wasn’t starting games and that’s what I need to be doing.
"Regardless of how much money you earn or whatever success you get you want to be playing games. That’s when you’re happy. As long as I’m playing games I’ll be more than happy.”