Centre-half Adam Webster has been ruled out of Saturday’s live Sky game at home to Nottingham Forest but Town manager Mick McCarthy, who has no other new injury problems, is hopeful that the 21-year-old will be fit for the visit of QPR the following week. Josh Emmanuel is set to return to the side, while McCarthy says there could be a place in the 20-man squad for 18-year-old Kundai Benyu.
Webster suffered the injury late on in the 2-1 win at Sheffield Wednesday prior to the international break.
"It’s a blow for him and a blow for the rest of us because he has been excellent,” the Town manager said. "I was just talking to him this morning and I said that. I think it needs to be said sometimes.
"He’s having a bit of a down moment because he’s not fit and he can’t play on Saturday but I just reminded him of how good he has been and to just get back and make sure he’s ready to go.
"We’re hoping he’ll have a chance for QPR but there’s no way in the world I’m going to risk him with a hamstring and I won’t be pushing that way.
"I’d love him to be fit but there’s a timescale to everything and hamstrings, if you come back and you damage it again it can be six weeks out. There’s a feeling he’ll be OK [for QPR] but I’m not going to be pushing him.”
McCarthy confirmed that Emmanuel will return at right-back with skipper Luke Chambers moving to Webster’s place at the centre of the defence alongside Christophe Berra.
McCarthy says youngster Benyu could be in the matchday 20 for the first time this season - and the first time in the Championship since 2014/15 - having impressed in the U23s on Monday, when he scored a brilliant freekick and picked up an assist, and throughout the season, having apologised to McCarthy for his attitude last year on his return to the club for pre-season training in July.
"He’s been terrific, I’ve been delighted with him,” the Town manager said. "He really needed to apologise.
"I’m not precious about myself. He needed to apologise for the way he had been behaving, to me, to everybody, just because he was letting himself down as a player.
"And he’s been great, he came back, I said ‘Fine, good’. He apologised, I said that was great, I shook his hand, ‘Crack on, we’ll get back’.
"He’s training with us more often than not now, he trained with us this morning and he’ll probably be in the squad for the 20 on Saturday.
"And I’m thrilled because he’s a good player, nobody doubts his ability, but I won’t have the tail wagging the dog wherever I go, don’t worry about that.”
The Town boss says the Blues’ internationals returned without having picked up any knocks or niggles: "Everybody’s fine, Didzy came back, trained with no problems, Tom Lawrence, Jonny Williams, Bez [Berra] having been away and played at Wembley [for Scotland]. They come back pretty well enthused by it all because playing in the team.
"Didzy got 20 minutes [for Ireland], he went on for Wes Hoolahan, they trusted him with that job, he dropped in and did all his hard work.
"That’s a lovely sign for him that they want him and around the team, certainly that they’d be prepared to play him.
"There are lots of players who go away regularly and never get a game. Christophe’s been like that, we’ve all teased him about getting a signed shirt, one that’s been played in.
"Well, he’s got it now and he got it playing at Wembley, despite the result. I’ve looked at it and his performance was fine. I thought that was a fitting reward for his performances this season because he’s been terrific.
"I felt for Tom Lawrence and Jonny Williams with their result, [Serbia equalising against Wales in the] last minute. I’ve been there. They’d just hit the post and they go up and scored.
"Tom came on and had 20 minutes and I thought he did well and Jonny’s come back and trained, he’s ready to play now, we’ve got some good players back ready to play.”
Regarding his longer term injured players, McCarthy says striker Brett Pitman is progressing having suffered an ankle injury at Leeds at the end of September.
"Whatever his timeline was, I think he’s about seven or eight weeks into 12 weeks, that’s what it’ll be,” he added.
"If we can nick a few days or a week off it and get him back sooner that’ll be brilliant, but injuries do have a time when they heal. He’s on course, he’s probably in front of what we thought it would be if anything.”
McCarthy says midfielder Luke Hyam is also making progress having undergone knee surgery which is expected to keep him out until early December.
"He’s far more positive about himself and his recovery,” he said. "It’s not going to happen tomorrow but he’s far more positive about it and if he’s feeling more positive it’ll heal quicker.”
Centre-half Tommy Smith underwent back surgery shortly before Hyam went under the knife when he was also pencilled in for a return at the start of December.
"Tommy doesn’t like being a patient but he’s a fabulous patient because he does everything correctly and everything they ask of him,” McCarthy continued.
"He’s doing it and he again would probably be in front of his expected return for his rehab. He’s a really good pro."