Blues boss Mick McCarthy is pleased to have options at wing-back as Town go into three games in eight days, believing the role is particularly tough. Brentford visit the Blues on Saturday, then Wolves are at Portman Road on Tuesday, before Town make the trip to Barnsley the following weekend.
Myles Kenlock has started the last three games at left wing-back with Jonas Knudsen, who had moved into the back three, taking over from him in the second half at Carrow Road, where he scored Town’s goal in Sunday’s 1-1 East Anglian derby draw with Norwich.
At right wing-back January signing Jordan Spence, who supplied the cross for Knudsen’s goal, has been picked ahead of 19-year-old Josh Emmanuel for the last two matches.
"We’ve got three games in a week and I think that wing-back position is a tough one as we saw with Myles [at the weekend],” said McCarthy, whose team has lined-up in a 3-5-2 system during their recent revival.
"Myles has been great and on Sunday it was a tough old game, I think the adrenaline and everything else would make you pretty knackered and it got tough for him physically.
"It’s nice now that I’ve got options because that is a tough position getting up and down. Jonas does well, he’s a bit of a machine, Jonas, to be quite honest. He just goes and plays at left wing-back, scores the goal, sorts the winger out, he’s very, very good.
"But the two young lads have done really well. I asked them both if they thought they’d have played as many as they have. They said they hoped they would, but I said hoping is one thing, but did they think they would?
"They’re both involved and they both look like first-team players now. So that’s great, it’s just really made the squad better.”