Duo Won't Be Frozen Out - Ipswich Town News
Michael Chopra and Jay Emmanuel-Thomas won’t be frozen out and left to rot in the Blues’ U21 side if they are still at Portman Road when the new season starts, according to manager Mick McCarthy. The duo were made available for transfer at the end of 2012/13 despite still having a year remaining on their Town contracts.
McCarthy says there’s been "a little bit” of interest in the pair with Fulham eyeing Emmanuel-Thomas — who is understood to have been back at training in the last couple of days having been sent home ill on Monday - and Russian side Spartak Moscow and Turkish club Bursaspor believed to be targeting Chopra.
However the Blues boss says it’s too soon to expect firm offers with clubs less than keen to pay wages through the summer if they can help it.
If the duo don’t move on McCarthy says they’ll be in his thoughts: "Of course, because we’re still paying them.
"I don’t do any of that bombing them into the stiffs. What’s the point? If they’re here, they’ve got to be earning their keep.
"And earning their keep is being as fit as possible and being motivated. And they only get that if they’ve got a chance, and they’ve got to be given that if they’re here.”
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