Loanee Callum Connolly has vowed to do his best for Town this season but is adamant he still sees his long-term future at parent club Everton.
Connolly was born in Litherland, about five miles north of Liverpool, and raised as a fan of the Goodison side. He first attended games at the age of six, joined the academy when he was nine and his ambition remains to become a first-team regular for the Toffees.
He said: "I’m an Everton fan and always will be. I used to go to the games with my uncle, who used to play for the club but never made the first team.
"With joining the academy I’ve been in and around Goodison for a long time. I also had a spell as a ball boy when I was about 14 or 15 and that was a great experience. I felt as if I wasn’t just at the game but also involved in it.
"My dream was always to play for Everton and that hasn’t changed. Hopefully this loan move will work out well and I can go back there as a better all-round player and get a chance in the first team. Other young players have been given their chance so why can’t I?
"You need confidence and belief in your own ability and I think I’ve got that. As an academy boy you need to have a lot of grit and determination to get into the first team.
"I know clubs spend a lot of money to bring players in but we’re at the club for a reason, not just to train but to make the grade and reach our goal.
"My aim is to do well here at Ipswich and then go back to Everton and make progress there. Hopefully the pathway to the first team will be there for me.”
Although he made his Town debut at QPR last week in the right-back position, one of Connolly’s main assets is his versatility, which he has proved by turning out in both full-back positions and in the centre of defence, as well as in central midfield where ex-Everton and Town boss Joe Royle believes his long-term future could lie.
Connolly added: "At the moment I don’t really see myself as having nailed down any position. I’m just happy to play anywhere to be fair. I wouldn’t even say I have a best position because wherever I’m asked to play I feel I can put a good shift in and do well for the team.
"I feel my versatility is definitely one of my biggest assets, being able to play in a lot of positions, and I suppose it’s only good for a manager to see he has a player who can do that.
"I’m just looking to kick on with my career and I’ve no problem with playing wherever the gaffer wants to put me.”
Connolly is no stranger to going out on loan, having had previous spells with Barnsley and Wigan, and he added: "They were both great experiences. The first one at Barnsley was only for a month and I was just 17 or 18 at the time, but I fully enjoyed it.
"At Wigan last year, although we ended up going down, I learned a lot from playing against a lot of top sides at big stadiums. Both moves worked out well and helped me to improve as a player.
"I started out in the Everton first team in pre-season but then the gaffer said he wanted me to go out on loan again.
"He said it would help me to develop more as a player and that’s what I am looking to do. I feel that Ipswich is the right club for me and I want to go forward with them.
"I think it will make a big difference being here on a season-long loan, rather than a short-term one. Joining a club at this stage of the season is a lot better than moving in, say, January.
"I know it is not going to be easy making the breakthrough at Everton. They have a big budget and have shown they can afford to spend big on players, so that’s a bit of a setback for me and the other young lads. That’s the problem for all young players coming through.
"But we just have to keep working hard and I’m hoping this loan spell will stand me in good stead to go back to Everton next year as a better all-round player.
"Look at Tom Davies, the way he has taken his chance in the first team. Tom is one of my good mates and he has done very well since getting into the first team. I’m made up for him and his family and I want the same for me.”