Winger Alex Henshall will make his return from the knee injury which curtailed his loan spell at Blackpool when the U21s take on Brentford at their Jersey Road training ground this afternoon (KO 1pm). Manager Mick McCarthy says he’d like to get the 21-year-old out on loan again if he can.
The former Manchester City youngster made only two sub appearances during his month at Bloomfield Road, having made one Capital One Cup start and four league sub appearances for Town since joining the Blues on a two-year deal last summer following a loan spell at Portman Road towards the end of the previous campaign.
"He’s training and he’ll be playing in the U21s,” McCarthy said. "He’s been out for a few weeks since he came back from Blackpool.
"He didn’t have that much football there either. He’s playing at Brentford, if the game’s on.”
He says the Swindon-born player is available for a further spell away from Portman Road: "Yes, if someone’s interested I’d let him go out on loan.”
With the first-team in action this evening, Henshall is likely to be the only member of the senior squad included against the Bees, while 19-year-old right-back Kyle Hammond will continue his comeback after his long spell out with a knee injury.
Meanwhile, the Blues have ended their interest in 20-year-old Witham Town winger Tom Wraight, who recently spent time at Playford Road and started the U21s match against Millwall before being subbed with a back injury.
"I have spoken to Ipswich’s U21 manager Mark Kennedy regularly and he was impressed with Tom from day one,” Witham assistant boss Brad King told the Braintree and Witham Times.
"However due to his age — he will be 21 in June — he is only able to play for the U21s for the rest of this season.
"So he was having to demonstrate he was ready to possibly be competing for a first-team place in the Premiership should they get promoted, and that is a big ask in such a short space of time for development.
"The problem is, if he can’t play for the U21s and isn’t ready for the first team then he is unable to develop. Mick [McCarthy] didn’t feel he was ready for that just yet.
"I believe should he have been a year younger, they would have given him a year to develop in the U21s.”