Midfielder Emyr Huws has started for the U23s in this afternoon’s game against Colchester at Playford Road (KO 1pm) and if he comes through the 90 minutes could be involved for the senior side for the first time this season against Preston North End at Portman Road on Saturday.
Manager Mick McCarthy says the squad suffered no new injuries during the last-gasp 2-1 win at Burton but confirmed that midfielder Tom Adeyemi will again miss out against his and Huws’s former club Cardiff tomorrow due to a hamstring problem.
"Everybody who was involved at Burton will be involved tomorrow night,” McCarthy said.
"Tom Adeyemi’s still out and Emyr Huws is playing in the U23s today. Hopefully he’ll get 90 minutes and we’ll get a report of a clean bill of health and he can be involved then on Saturday.
"It would be great to have him playing again, as he proved last year, he’s a really talented player, one that we were delighted to sign and it’ll be great for him as well because he’s had a bit of a sad face on him for a while. But he’s smiling today.”
The Blues boss confirmed that defender Tommy Smith is ready to play if called upon, despite the New Zealand international having been left out of the 18 for the last two matches. Smith travelled but wasn’t involved at Burton along with Myles Kenlock and Danny Rowe.
"Tommy’s fine, he’s training all the time, he looks in good shape, no problem with him at all,” McCarthy added.
"He understands [why he’s not in the 18] because I’ve spoken to him, he fully understands.”
Asked when Teddy Bishop, who underwent a hernia operation in August, might make his U23s return and how Luke Hyam, who had a knee operation shortly afterwards, is getting on, he added: "ASAP, I don’t know, same with Luke Hyam, they’re just progressing, just having their treatment.”
U23s: M Crowe, D Crowe, Clements, Webber, Fowler, Woolfenden, McLoughlin, Patterson, Folami, Morris, Huws. Subs: Dobra, Wright, McKendry, McGavin, Marshall.