New loan striker Luke Varney has made a big impression on manager Mick McCarthy since he joined the club last week. The 32-year-old, at Portman Road for an initial month but with an agreement in place for him to remain until after the play-offs, made his Blues debut as a late sub during Saturday’s 1-0 home defeat to Reading.
"What a lovely young fella he is. He’s always been a threat whenever we’ve played against him,” McCarthy said of the striker, pictured above scoring for Leeds in their 2-1 win at Portman Road in August 2013.
"He’s trained really, really well. He’s a really capable player and I’m delighted we’ve got him.
"He’s not played that much football and he was a bit unlucky at the far stick during his little cameo bit because he got his head on the ball [at a late corner] and they were all screaming for a penalty, although I wasn't convinced.
"He’ll really contribute will Varns, or Reg as he’s known. We’re all calling him Reg and there’s only about five of us who know who Reg Varney is. The rest of them have no idea!”
Millwall, Sheffield Wednesday and Brighton also showed interest in the Blackburn man, but he chose to join Town’s promotion push even though he probably would have been guaranteed more regular football at some of the other clubs.
"He’s coming to a team which might be promoted and that’s another string to his bow when he’s thinking about where he’s going to go,” McCarthy continued.
"I’m sure he did have offers, in fact I know he had a couple of offers from teams down near the bottom of the league where he probably would have gone and played.
"Maybe it’s easier coming to a team which has been doing well and has got a good squad, a good team spirit and we’re looking to go out of the league at the top end and not at the bottom end.
"I was delighted he’s come and joined us. He’s proved to me in the few days in which he’s been with us that it was a really good decision to get him.”
McCarthy has been similarly pleased with midfielder Richard Chaplow, at the club on similar terms to Varney.
"Chappers, Richard has trained well,” he added. "I’m pleased with him as well. He’s a capable Championship player.
"Wherever he’s been he’s done really well. I’m just glad to have them in. They’re good, experienced players.”
However, the 30-year-old had the dubious honour of receiving the yellow bib during Monday training.
"He just had a bad day at the office today,” McCarthy laughed. "We have young versus old and the old team lost and he got the worst player award. Thoroughly deserved it as well, I might add, I did tell him that! He was a worthy winner.”
The Town boss says it’s not his place to comment on why Chaplow, like Varney, an experienced Championship campaigner, hasn’t been playing for parent club Millwall.
"I don’t pick their team. That’s not my bag,” he said. "Players come and go from here and they might go somewhere else and there’s not too many have gone and ripped it up anywhere else, I have to be honest.
"There’ll be somebody else asking them and I’d like to think they’d say ‘You know what, Mick makes his decisions and it’s his team’.
"We can only play 11, can’t we? Then there’s subs and sometimes they become surplus to requirements. Richard’s out of contract at the end of the year, maybe that has a fair bit to do with it. He’s here helping us now.”