Midfielder Tom Adeyemi is a big doubt ahead of Saturday’s trip to Burton Albion with a recurrence of his hamstring injury. Adeyemi, who returned to action during Sunday’s 1-0 defeat to Norwich City, looks certain to miss out at the Pirelli Stadium.
"Tom Adeyemi is very, very doubtful,” manager Mick McCarthy revealed. "Before the Norwich game he’d been off for three weeks, he came back and had three weeks’ training, was very good, but he’s felt his hamstring again, which is really sad because he did very well.
"He does make a difference and the lads think he makes a difference. We’ll have to wait and see.”
McCarthy says it’s been a frustrating first few months of the season for Adeyemi and also Emyr Huws, who is yet to play a minute during the campaign due to an achilles problem, but is set to feature for the U23s on Monday when they face Colchester United at Playford Road (1pm).
"He and Emyr Huws, although Emyr’s been training this week and he’s just been caught smiling, so that’s a good sign. I think they got it on camera,” the Town boss added.
"And Tom’s been the same. I had thoughts of playing a midfield three of Tom Adeyemi, Emyr and Skusey, which would be a formidable threesome.
"Thankfully though, we’ve had Tristan and Flynn who have come through and done really well. It’s really tough on the lads when they’re injured all the time.
"[But Tom is] an experienced player and, as I said, I thought he played really well, certainly in the first half on Sunday, and in the second half he started reasonably well but he just ran out of gas.
"If he’d felt his hamstring I wish he’d just said, but obviously he wasn’t injured because he continued playing, it’s just tightened up.”
Tommy Smith wasn’t among the subs on Saturday but McCarthy says the New Zealand international is fit, despite having a back spasm ahead of the Norwich match having recently returned from a hamstring injury.
"Tommy’s fine, he’d had the back problem, he’d had the hamstring so sitting on the bench for 60 minutes minutes and me saying, ‘Come on then Tom, get warmed up, go and get on the pitch’ is not always the best thing to be doing. He’d be better from the start, Tommy.”
Still sidelined are Teddy Bishop (groin), Andre Dozzell (cruciate) and Luke Hyam (knee).