Blues boss Mick McCarthy says that while summer signing Tommy Oar has made a slow start to his Town career, he has been impressed with the Australian international during training.
Oar, 24, joined the Blues on a free transfer in August having left Eredivisie side FC Utrecht at the end of last season, but his only league start so far came in the 0-0 draw with Huddersfield when he was forced off at half-time having suffered a concussion.
The 28-times-capped former Brisbane Roar player also started the 3-0 Capital One Cup defeat at Manchester United and has made three Championship appearances from the bench.
"He’s doing great in training, he trained really well today, I was delighted with him, and I have been whenever he trains,” McCarthy said.
"But he himself has said that getting up to speed playing at what we play at, the pace that the game’s played at, has been difficult for him, and the sheer physicality of it. The tempo of the game, he’s just not used to playing at that.
"And then, of course, he played and he got concussed and played for 40 minutes not knowing where he was. I kept having to keep telling him his name’s Tommy Oar and he’s at Ipswich, he wasn’t quite sure.
"And then he got injured again, he hurt his knee, but he’s doing great in training, I’m delighted with him.”
McCarthy believes Oar will bring quality to his side when he gets his chance in the first-team again.
"I do,” he said. "I’m pleased with him, he’s been unfortunate, and we’ve played well, of course.
"We’ve had Ryan Fraser playing there and Freddie Sears has gone and played there and been the star of the team from there, so it’s been difficult for him to get back in.”