Tom Adeyemi is confident he can bring goals to the Town midfield, something that has been in short supply in recent seasons.
Adeyemi, who started his career at Norwich, was snapped up on a free transfer in July following his release by Cardiff City at the end of last season after he netted seven times on loan for relegated Rotherham, his last goal for the Millers clinching victory over Town back in April.
A similar return for Mick McCarthy’s team in the current campaign would be deemed satisfactory and when asked if he felt he could provide goals from the middle of the park he answered: "Yes, definitely, and especially with the quality of the forward players here. If I’m making runs into the box I know they’ll pick me out. I’m confident I could get a few goals.
"I’m a box-to-box midfielder. I like to impose myself physically and get around the pitch. Last season, when I was on loan at Rotherham, I added a few goals to my game and hopefully that will continue in an Ipswich Town shirt.”
Adeyemi is finally fit for action and could feature at some stage of tomorrow’s visit to QPR, with Town anxious to recapture the form that saw them win the first four league games of the season before last week’s 2-0 home defeat to an impressive Fulham outfit.
He added: "It’s really important that we don’t just let the good start slip away. We want to keep on top of that and there’s no better way of doing it than going to QPR and getting all three points.”
Adeyemi continued his comeback from a seven-week spell on the sidelines with illness and injury when he played in recent U23 games but he admits his enforced absence from the pre-season training schedule has cost him valuable ground.
He said: "In an ideal world I would have had a full pre-season but I’ve worked really hard with the physios, the fitness coach and the sports science staff, so I feel like I’m in as good a place as I could be after what I’ve been through.
"It’s not been ideal at all but the chance is there for me now to prove myself and I’ll be able to do that. I had no reaction in the U23 games.
"I felt good and even in the second one, away to Sheffield Wednesday, I felt a little bit fitter and stronger than I did on the Tuesday. Hopefully I’m only moving in the right direction now.
"While the U23 games are good you can’t really compare them to the intensity of first-team games. Maybe I won’t know where I’m at until I actually play one but I’m sure the adrenalin will get me through the first couple of games.”
Adeyemi recalled his 30-game temporary stint in Yorkshire last season and added: "It was really good because when it became clear that I was surplus to requirements at Cardiff I knew that I needed to go out and play football.
"Obviously, it was a really tough season because results were not the best, but from a personal point of view it was important for me to get a full season of football under my belt and I think I’ll be better for that going forward.
"It helped me to develop a bit of character. It was the first time in my career that I had experienced such a bad run of results. There were some really tough times but that can only build character and make you determined that it won’t happen again. It will end up being a positive experience for me.
"There was never really much discussion at Cardiff about my future. I had to make the decision for myself. I’m pleased that I got the loan move to Rotherham and play regular football because it enabled me to come here and now I’m ready to kick on.”