Boss Mick McCarthy says midfielder Teddy Bishop was unfortunate not to keep his place in the starting line-up for last Sunday’s 1-1 East Anglian derby draw with Norwich but feels playing two games in a few days is difficult for the 20-year-old at the present time.
Bishop missed all but the final few weeks of last season with a succession of injuries and McCarthy isn’t taking any chances with the Cambridge-born academy product’s fitness.
"He was [unlucky], but he’d played in the week and he’s been out for 12 months, just about, and just playing week in, week out he finds difficult at the moment.
"He’s not being wrapped in cotton wool, it’s just getting his endurance back. Bish wasn’t out with a cruciate ligament where we could all go, ‘Wasn’t he unlucky?’ or a double fracture or something, it was all these different injuries that took their toll on him.
"It’s really difficult then, you come back and what I don’t want is him ending up injured through playing loads of games, so we want to get the best out of him.”
McCarthy recalled Kevin Bru to the centre of his midfield, who he felt in turn had been unfortunate to make way for Bishop as Town drew 0-0 at Wolves in the previous game.
"I’d sooner tell you about Kevin Bru and how he played against Norwich, I thought he was excellent,” McCarthy added.
"And I thought Kevin Bru was unlucky when I left him out and put Bish in. It’s nice that I’ve got that luxury.
"So rather than talk about the one that was left out, it’s the one that goes in that should be [spoken about].
"And, of course, if he doesn’t play well, then he knows that the other fella’s going to nick his slot.
"We’ve got some good midfield players, that’s probably another area I’m not looking at [adding to] if I consider it.”
McCarthy has been delighted with the impact Jonathan Douglas has made in the last two games and believes he can add goals to the midfield.
"I said to him, 'What do you reckon to the two games?'. I said well done to him, that he’d done well in both games. I asked about the Norwich game and did he think he had any chances.
"He said, ‘Did you not see the goal I scored!’. I said I did, I was reflecting more on the 90 minutes about getting in the box - did he get chances, did the ball come in - because he does get in the box and he has got that happy knack, certainly playing in a three.
"He’s got unbelievable energy and he’s a finisher. I think there’ll be goals from him.”