Ryan Tunnicliffe wants to succeed where his idol, former Ipswich boss Roy Keane, sadly failed.
Keane’s 20 months in charge at Portman Road could not come even close to mirroring the considerable success he enjoyed as a player, most significantly as captain of Manchester United.
Tunnicliffe was a youngster in the Old Trafford academy back then and no player has influenced him more than Keane, who departed Ipswich when owner Marcus Evans sacked him two and a half years ago.
Such is Tunnicliffe’s admiration for Keane that he has bagged the Ipswich number 16 shirt, a tribute to the Republic of Ireland legend who wore the same number in leading the Red Devils to a host of major trophy wins.
Tunnicliffe said: "Roy Keane was my idol when I was growing up. He was a hard-tackling midfielder, which I like to be. I also had the number 16 when I was on loan at Peterborough and wanted it here as well. That’s the thinking behind it.
"When Roy was doing his coaching badges he came and did some sessions with the young lads, but the main way I learned from him was to watch him in training and on match days.
"That’s where I picked up stuff and I want to be a winner like him. When you are a young lad at United you get a season ticket and you have to meet up before the first team games. You are told to soak up the atmosphere and see what it is like to play for such a big club because it’s a massive step up to that level.
"It’s the right thing to do, to learn from some outstanding players. When I was that age I wasn’t watching the game as much as watching Keano and also Paul Scholes, the way he receives the ball and passes it. You pick up on all sorts of things.
"Roy put 100 per cent into training as well as games. Sometimes you might not be the best footballer in the world but if you want to win — and you want it really badly — that beats someone who is really talented but doesn’t have the same will to win.
"Roy always played to his strengths. He passed it simply, ran around from box to box and was a great captain, driving the team on.
"No player did more for United than him. I’m not the most technically gifted — I’m not too bad — but I want to influence the game in any way I can and if that means running 50 yards and tackling somebody, then passing it to a striker for him to score I’m only too happy to do it.”
Asked whether he’d be pleased if Tunnicliffe turned out to be anything like his old Saipan adversary, current Town manager Mick McCarthy quipped: "On or off the pitch?"
He added: "I don’t give a s***e what number he’s got on his back, not bothered at all.
""He’s a good player and I fully understand why Roy Keane would be his idol. There are thousands of others that think the same.”