Blues boss Mick McCarthy says out-of-favour winger Cameron Stewart could get the chance to revive a Town career which looked to be over before it had even started.
The 25-year-old, pictured above enjoying a joke with Tommy Smith, Adam McDonnell and Cole Skuse at pre-season training on Tuesday, joined the Blues on a three-year deal in the summer of 2014 following his release by Hull City after a proposed move to his former loan club Leeds had broken down.
The one-time Manchester United trainee looked set to start the 2014/15 in the Town team but suffered a broken jaw in the final pre-season friendly at Leyton Orient and spent a number of months on the sidelines before finally making his debut as a sub in the FA Cup tie at Southampton and then appearing from the bench in the replay at Portman Road.
Those two games against the Saints remain the Mancunian’s only appearances for Town. He ended his first season on loan at Barnsley and was left out of the party which travelled to Ireland for Town’s annual pre-season training camp ahead of 2015/16 and was made available for transfer.
He joined League One Doncaster Rovers on loan for the first half of the campaign and subsequently extended his spell to the end of the season. In April, McCarthy reiterated that Stewart was available and said that he expected him to move on in the summer.
However, speaking at Tuesday’s first training session of pre-season, the Town boss said Stewart had returned in good shape, impressed him during testing the previous day and has given himself a chance of coming back into his plans.
"There’s been a bit of interest in him, but he’s done his bleep test and he’s come back really fit this time, so I didn’t have to fall out with him!” McCarthy said.
"If he’s of that mind and he wants to work hard and be involved in the squad and be fit then I’ll take him to Ireland and we’ll see because he’s got ability. But there has been a bit of interest in him.”
Asked whether the slate had now been wiped clean, he added: "Not quite a clean slate, clean-ish. He came back on the first day and did well, so that’s the first day, but he’s got a lot of work to do. I’d love him to do it and to be a success, but that’s down to him.”