Town boss Mick McCarthy has confirmed new striker Joe Garner is over the shoulder injury he suffered at Charlton last weekend and will be available to make his debut in Saturday’s opening home game of the season against Birmingham at Portman Road. McCarthy also revealed that David McGoldrick and Bersant Celina, who both missed the Charlton defeat due to illness, could both also be in the squad.
"He missed the first couple of days, Monday and Tuesday, but he trained on Thursday and Friday and he’s fine,” McCarthy said of Garner at his pre-match press conference, which was shown live on TWTV. "He was on good form today.
"Didzy trained yesterday and trained very well but he was left out of the shooting because it was his calf that was very sore. He’s trained really well today as well.
"He’s missed a lot of practice and a lot of sessions, but he was good. And Bersant is similar. He trained Thursday and Friday so both are fit and available for the squad.”
The Blues’ pre-season preparations have been hampered by the virus suffered by McGoldrick and Celina as well as a number of other players, and their manager.
"Everybody’s had it,” McCarthy reflected. "Me, being a Yorkshireman, I take it if it’s for free, so I’ve had it. Believe me, I don’t give much away so I didn’t pass it on to anybody.
"Bersant was the first to get it and he and Tom Adeyemi were rooming together in Ireland and he got knocked off his feet, which takes some doing with Tom.
"But he’s been training today, which is good. Tom Adeyemi, Emyr Huws and Luke Hyam, God love him, have been out today training with Lids [fitness coach Andy Liddell], so that’s a good sign.
"But it has been a disjointed pre-season through illness and injury - Chambo having his tonsils out, Adam Webster coming back from [an ankle] injury. There have been a lot missing but they’re all coming back thankfully.”
Any likely to be back for Tuesday’s Carabao Cup match at Luton? "Teddy Bishop’s not training, he’s having treatment [for a groin injury]. Tom Adeyemi is the most athletic of them all, Luke Hyam would argue with that but he has been out a long time, I’m just talking about how they are at the moment.
"Emyr Huws with his achilles, I’ve just watched him, he’s been doing shuttles and training hard, so he looks like he’s going to be OK. But he needs that groundwork put into him that he’s missed. So I don’t see Tuesday, I think that’s a bit too soon for them.”