Town boss Mick McCarthy believes that Premier League central defender of the future Adam Webster is just one of a good crop of young players at Portman Road. Webster, signed from Portsmouth in the summer for £700,000 plus academy product Matt Clarke, scored his first Blues goal in Tuesday’s 2-1 defeat at Birmingham.
"Adam’s going to be an exceptional player,” McCarthy said of Webster, whose performances have been one of the highlights of what's been a disappointing Town season so far.
"I look at the Premier League and some of the defending in there and think, well, if I haven’t got a Premier League centre-half in the making, then I’m a Dutchman.”
Have Town had any enquiries for him? "I get you asking me, but you know full well I wouldn’t tell you.
"He’s a good player, whatever he cost he’s a good player. I’m not touting to sell him, we’ve got a very good player.
"And a young one who is still learning. I’m not suggesting he should be going off and playing anywhere else. I think he should be the foundation of what is a pretty good squad of [young] players.
"Tommy Smith’s injured at the moment but he’s only 26, Adam’s 21. Then I think about Myles [Kenlock] and Josh [Emmanuel], who are both coming through.
"We signed Grant Ward, there’s Bish, Dozzell, who is coming through. Freddie Sears is not that old.
"I still think we’ve got a pretty good squad of young players, who are only going to get better. I think he should be the foundation of that for Ipswich.”
Having made a goalscoring debut at as a sub at Sheffield Wednesday last season and then his first start against Fulham, 17-year-old Andre Dozzell’s only appearance this term was the EFL Cup tie against Stevenage in August, although he has been on the bench on nine occasions.
McCarthy says Town’s under par form and disappointing results this season have made it harder to introduce youngsters such as Dozzell.
"If I say that other people would say, ‘Surely you could put him in and he’d change those results’.
"If I thought that was the one component missing, then surely they trust me enough to make that decision.”
He added: "It’s a lot easier if it’s going well, of course it is. We need to change that and make sure it is going well then maybe he can get his games.”