Aaron Mclean has finally teamed up with Mick McCarthy after the Ipswich boss first tried to sign him several years ago when the pair were at Peterborough and Wolves respectively.
Mclean, who made his Town debut in the 0-0 draw at Cardiff last week, said: "One of the main reasons why I wanted to come here was that I know what the manager expects. It suits me down to the ground.
"In every game I go into I’m looking to give everything. At the moment I think I’m still probably going to be a couple of weeks off fitness.
"Cardiff was only my second start in about 12 weeks so it’s going to take a while for me to get my match fitness and be able to get through 90 minutes at full tilt.
"Day in, day out, I’ll be working hard in the sessions to make sure that when I go out onto the pitch I give everything. I don’t think anyone can ask much more.
"Mick has been brilliant. From when he tried to sign me years ago and couldn’t, to now, he’s a manager who fills you with confidence.
"He’s so honest. He tells you what he expects from you and if you don’t give it to him he’ll let you know that you haven’t. He’s not the type who will tell you one thing and then do another. For that you can’t help but have respect for him.”
Mclean, recruited on loan from Hull until the end of the current campaign, is eager to please McCarthy and admits he would be interested in making the move to Portman Road permanent.
He added: "I’ll be working hard every single day in training, making sure that when I go out on the pitch I’ll be doing exactly the same and hopefully if I’m scoring goals I’ll be playing.
"I still have another year after this one on my contract at Hull so we’ll have to wait and see what happens in the summer. I’m sure they are also waiting to see what their situation is going to be, whether they are going to be in the Premiership or if they’re still in the Championship.
"I’m going to make sure I just concentrate on this season, try to have a good, strong finish and then I’ll take it from there. It’s been enjoyable so far. I’ve enjoyed being around the place and we’ve got an unbelievable set of lads here.
"My time in football hasn’t been as good as I would have liked. I’ve played out of position for the majority of the time and then this season, when I thought I might actually play up top, I’ve found myself sitting on the bench for the majority of it.
"It’s been a bit frustrating but I’m here now and I’m just looking to make sure that I do well for Ipswich. The rest of it I can worry about later.”