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Hammond Offered Deal as Town Make Decisions on Youngsters - Ipswich Town News

Right-back Kyle Hammond is amongst the youngsters to have been offered new terms as manager Mick McCarthy decides which of the first-year pros and scholars will be retained for the 2015/16 campaign.

Former Westbourne High School pupil Hammond, who signed his first one-year pro deal last summer, returned to U21s action in January having suffered an anterior cruciate knee ligament injury back in March last year.

The 19-year-old was part of the first-team squad during the Blues' 2013/14 pre-season programme before suffering another injury early in that campaign.

"My main aim now is to get back playing to the level I was before the injury,” Hammond told the club site. "I love being at the club. I’ve been here since I was 13 and I want to do well here.

"I’ve got to come back in pre-season and hit the ground running and hopefully get myself in the manager’s thoughts for the friendlies.”

Amongst this season’s second-year academy scholars, defender Josh Emmanuel and strikers Cemal Ramadan, an Irish U17 international, and Shane McLoughlin, who has played for Ireland's U16s, have been offered the opportunity to remain with the club.

Goalkeeper Jacob Marsden, who has been sidelined with injury for 15 months, has had his scholarship extended.

Of the first-year pros, defenders Omar Sowunmi and Ben Wyatt and striker Darren McQueen will not be kept on, while midfielders Cory Galvin and Jack Willbye, who extended their scholarships into a third year last year, will also be moving on. Another third-year scholar, defender Joe Robinson, has been retained.

Sowunmi is currently on loan at Lowestoft and the Trawlerboys are keen to keep the centre-half, while Willbye has been offered a four-year football scholarship at Old Dominion University in Virginia.

Irish winger Galvin recently spent time on trial at Colchester United.

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