Manager Mick McCarthy says Northern Irish midfielder Josh Carson can join Bristol City if they want him. The 20-year-old, whose contract is up at the end of the season, is currently on trial with the League One club.
McCarthy said: "He’s just training with them. Obviously, they’re having a look at him, seeing whether they fancy him and I would let him go.
"He’s not going to get in the first team, he’s not going to get in that squad of 20 [outfield players], so if he’s not Josh needs to go and play some football. He’s been here too long just being on the fringes, he has to play.”
Former striker Alan Lee netted the winner for Town’s U21s in a 1-0 victory over Colchester on Tuesday but McCarthy says there are no new developments regarding the Irishman, who is primarily at the club to coach in the academy: "Al’s been fine.
"I invited him to come and train, he’s really good with the kids around the place and I thought he was great in the game for 45 minutes, but nothing else is happening. Whether it does, I don’t know.”
Other than the possible registration of Lee as a back-up striker, the Blues boss says he’s not looking at making any further additions to his squad: "That’s us, we’ll have a squad of 22.
"You could add Jack Doherty to that but he’s not one for now straight away and he rocked his ankle as well, so he’s not available anyway. We’d have 22, 20 outfield and two goalkeepers, plus the back-up of Michael Crowe.”
Overall, he says he’s very pleased with the squad he has assembled: "I’m delighted with the business that we’ve done. I’m not going to say anything other than that if I wasn’t, am I?
"I really am pleased, they’re all good characters, good professionals, look after themselves and look after one another, which has been nice.
"The ones that have come in have been taken under the wing of some of the others and when we’ve had a weekend off and somebody’s had a barbecue, the lads have been invited or they’ve taken them out. That’s nice that, they’re a good bunch.”