Boss Mick McCarthy says 19-year-old Elliott Hewitt has everything it takes to be a top class right-back. The Wales U21 international has started all Town’s league games so far this season, having joined the Blue from Macclesfield in the summer of 2012.
McCarthy says he’s been pleased with the youngster’s performances, despite him coming up against a number of difficult opponents in the opening weeks of the campaign.
"Yes, very much so,” he said. "And not one of our other players has played against five opponents like he’s had to play against — Garath McCleary, Royston Drenthe, Jobi McAnuff, Junior Hoilett and Shaun Wright-Phillips.
"He’s had them all up against him at some stage. And I have to say he’s handled himself pretty well. I was giving out at him a tiny little bit for the QPR goal because he let him get the cross in.
"But if I turned that around I would be saying to my winger ‘Well done, 90th minute, you went and took the full-back on and you got it’. But overall, I’m pleased with him.”
Hewitt underwent two hip impingement operations prior to joining the Blues from the Silkmen for an initial £250,000 last summer, and a lengthy recovery period limited his involvement during 2012/13.
McCarthy says that while the Bodelwyddan-born defender has great promise, he’s yet to prove his fitness over a season.
"He’s got everything to be a really top class right-back,” he said. "I haven’t seen him play that much, there’s always a question having had the injuries, can he play 40-odd games? We don’t know yet.
"Last week was the first time he’d played three games in a week. He played on Saturday, he went off and played [for the Wales U21s] on the Wednesday and maybe that affected him in the 90th minute at QPR.
"I’m not sure Shaun Wright-Phillips was running around on Wednesday for 90 minutes and that does have an effect. But overall, I’m really pleased with him.”