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McCarthy Set for Manager of the Month Double? - Ipswich Town News

Boss Mick McCarthy has been nominated for the Sky Bet Championship Manager of the Month award for December, having carried off the gong for November when Town striker Daryl Murphy won the Player of the Month award.

McCarthy is up against Leeds manager Steve Evans, Middlesbrough’s Aitor Karanka and new Brentford boss Dean Smith.

The Blues, who are sixth in the Championship, won four - three of them away from home - and lost two - against the Championship’s top two Boro and Derby - during the final month of 2015. The winner will be announced on Friday.

Only Neil Warnock (twice), Steve Coppell, Roy Keane (with Sunderland), Chris Hughton, Brian McDermott and Sean Dyche have been named Championship Manager of the Month in two successive months since its introduction at the start of the 2004/05 campaign.

Last season, McCarthy won the September award, becoming the first Town boss to win Manager of the Month since Joe Royle in November 2004. He was also nominated in December 2013, November and December 2014 and in August this season.

McCarthy picked up the award three times with his previous clubs, once with Sunderland and twice with Wolves.

Meanwhile, Town and QPR are reported to be considering a move for 20-year-old Cagliari centre-half Dario Del Fabro, who is currently on loan at Ascoli.

Italian U20 international Del Fabro, who made one appearance while on loan at Leeds last season, seems an unlikely Blues target with Town already having Piotr Malarczyk as cover at centre-half and skipper Luke Chambers able to move inside from right-back if required, while Barnsley youngster Paul Digby, also 20, was signed last week.

Matt Clarke, 19, and Josh Yorwerth, 20, have been allowed to move out on loan for the remainder of the season to Portsmouth and Crawley respectively.

McCarthy has played down the likelihood of additions to his squad during January, having repeatedly stated that he is happy with his squad.

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