Town boss Mick McCarthy has hinted that senior central defenders Christophe Berra and Tommy Smith will be battling it out for the left-sided central defensive berth with the right-footed Adam Webster having been added to the squad from Portsmouth over the summer.
The 21-year-old, who joined the Blues for £700,000 plus Matt Clarke earlier in the summer, played his first 90 minutes of pre-season during Saturday’s 2-1 defeat to Belgian second division side Royale Union Saint-Gilloise.
Asked whether his record Town signing will be fit enough to start against Barnsley in this weekend’s Championship opener, McCarthy said: "We’ll see how he recovers. He has been out for 13 weeks but he’s played well and he is a good player.”
Notably, the Webster was partnered by Berra, 31, in the first half on Saturday and 26-year-old Smith, like the Scotland international left-footed, in the second.
McCarthy admits he has a big decision ahead of him: "You mean having two left-sided centre-backs and I’m only going to play one?
"If that’s the case and Adam gets in the team, which I’m sure he will at some stage, it’ll be the best one who plays.
"One’s not going to be happy about it but they know the score, they’re not daft. They can see there’s one here and they’ve all got to be better, the intensity on them has heightened, hasn’t it?”
The Town boss says Webster has all the attributes to go a long way in the game: "I see Manchester City signing John Stones for £50 million. I’m not suggesting he’s anything like that at the moment, but he will be a really good centre-half because he’s a big fella, he’s got pace, he can handle it, he’s got two good feet. I think he’s got real potential to be a top, top player.”
Meanwhile, McCarthy is pleased that Smith put pen to paper on a new three-year deal, with an option for a further season, last week: "He’s been a stalwart of the team and I’m delighted he’s signed.”