Town boss Mick McCarthy says he’s received great feedback from Portsmouth manager Paul Cook regarding on-loan defender Matt Clarke.
The 18-year-old, who extended his Blues contract to June 2017 with an option for a further season earlier in the week, has started seven games for Pompey so far with the Hampshire club currently fourth in League Two.
"They’re delighted with him,” McCarthy said. "They’re telling me everything I told them before he went - great lad, good player, good defender, you can hang your hat on him, he can play.
"All those things which I already knew and I thought he would be great for them and that’s what’s happening, they’re delighted with him.”
McCarthy has said Clarke is already good enough to play in the Town first team despite his youth with only the form of his senior defenders preventing the Barham-born Academy product from making more than one start and five sub appearances last season.
"He’s beyond the U21s, that was becoming comfortable for him and he needed to be challenged,” the Town manager added. "He needed to be taken out of that comfort zone.
"He would have played for me last year had the situation arisen. He didn’t because I had Chambo, Tommy Smith, Christophe Berra, Tyrone Mings and Jonny Parr, and they were fit for the most part.”
Clarke is with Pompey until January 3rd on a youth loan, which allows the Blues to recall him at 24 hours’ notice if required now that he has completed first 28 days of his spell.