Blues manager Mick McCarthy says former loanee Luke Varney is in high spirits despite facing a long spell on the sidelines having ruptured his achilles during Town’s play-off semi-final first leg against Norwich City at Portman Road in May.
The 32-year-old is a free agent having been released by his parent club Blackburn following his spell with the Blues and has accepted Town’s invitation to undergo his rehab - which was expected to take up to six months - at Playford Road. A new contract is set to be offered once he is assessed fit.
"I’ve just seen him in there, he’s in his usual high spirits," McCarthy said at the start of pre-season training on Tuesday.
"He told me had a good holiday but that he had to have a mobility scooter which, when he saw a couple of his ex-team-mates, caused huge hilarity for him. I think he was like the woman off Benidorm!
"He’s such a great character, so he had a laugh at that as well. He seems in good form. He’s just such a good, positive character.
"I don’t know how long he’s going to be out for, he’s going to be a good while yet having snapped his achilles.
"But we’ll look after him and get him fit and hopefully he’ll be a player for us again.”
Meanwhile, Arsenal youngster Ainsley Maitland-Niles will be at Town today to formalise his season-long loan move and to train with his new team-mates for the first time.
Elsewhere, Ipswich-born former Blues youth coach and one-time ballboy Terry Westley, 55, will take charge of West Ham this evening when they take on FC Lusitans of Andorra in a sell-out Europa League first qualifying round tie at Upton Park.
New manager Slaven Bilic has already started his job but has been away on a training camp with some of the senior players ahead of the game and will watch from the stands.
Westley, named the Hammers’ academy manager last summer, will in the dugout taking charge of a side which is a mix of senior and U21s, as well as 16-year-old England U17 international Reece Oxford, who will become West Ham’s youngest-ever first-team player.