Town boss Mick McCarthy has confirmed that striker David McGoldrick will be on the bench for Friday’s live Sky game against Middlesbrough at Portman Road, but Kevin Bru and Larsen Touré both remain sidelined.
"He’s available and he’ll be on the bench,” McCarthy said of McGoldrick, who has missed the last three matches with a groin problem.
"It’s nice to have him back but if it’s 0-0 with 30 minutes to go don’t all start shouting for David McGoldrick and expect him to get on because he’s not at that level. We’d get 10 or 15 minutes out of him at full tilt.
"He’s all right, he’s trained for the last couple of days and he’s still a nice asset to have at the end of the game if we need something out of it because we all know that if he gets a chance he’s got the ability to finish it.”
Bru and Touré missed the 3—0 win at Charlton last week with hamstring and groin injuries respectively and both will again be absent on Friday but with the Mauritius international standing more of a chance of being involved away against the MK Dons a week on Saturday.
"Bru and Larsen Touré are both still injured,” McCarthy added. "The squad is as it was last week.
"Kevin I think will be OK for next week, he was far more optimistic this morning when I spoke to him and he feels a lot better. Larsen I think is going to be a couple of weeks, he’s got a nasty groin injury.”
Playford Road hosted a behind-closed-doors U21s friendly against a Southend side this afternoon with the Blues winning 2-1.
The only senior player involved was Luke Varney, who was making his long-awaited return to action having been out since May after rupturing his achilles in the play-off semi-final against Norwich City.
VIDEO: Luke Varney made his return to action as #itfc U21's defeated Southend 2-1 in a friendly today (no audio).
https://t.co/HbPhUCXa1N
— Ipswich Town FC (@Official_ITFC) December 3, 2015
"We had no game for the U21s, that’s all, it was just to get a game. Luke Varney played in it for 45 minutes," the Town boss said. "Southend needed their players to get a game. It’s better than having a training session.”
McCarthy is delighted for the 33-year-old free agent - he left Blackburn at the end of the season - who he is talking to about a contract at Portman Road.
"It’s great for him [to get back in action], he’s such a great lad and a really good pro and I’m trying to do something with him.”
Winger Ryan Fraser is not yet back at Town having undergone his rehabilitation from his knee ligament injury back with parent club AFC Bournemouth, but earlier in the week the Scotland U21 international tweeted that he has returned to training.
2 days of training after injury and legs are in bits!!– Ryan Fraser (@RyanFraser94) December 2, 2015
"You know more than me if you’re reading Twitter!” McCarthy joked. "No, I knew he’d trained, I’ve spoken to him, he’s trained and he’d had the ball out.
"He was optimistic about being here this week. I love that about players, their optimism. Even if you walk into the physio room and ask, ‘How are you doing?’ the answer is, ‘I’ll be all right for Friday’.
"That’s great but if I was [Bournemouth manager] Eddie Howe I wouldn’t let him out of the building until he was 100 per cent fit and I know that he could play.
"Because the temptation would be for a manager to get Ryan Fraser back under the roof when he’s not fully at 90 minutes and then think ‘He was great, he scored four goals, he was brilliant, I’ll stick him in the team’ and he gets injured again. Eddie will let him go when he’s fully fit, I would imagine.”
Teddy Bishop remains sidelined as he continues his recovery from hamstring and shin splints problems.