Town midfielder Kevin Bru has come in from the cold and is looking to grab his chance — and complete a century of first team appearances — at Wolves on Saturday.
With seven midfielders currently crocked - Bru himself took the total to eight due to a rib injury he is now over - the player who was so out of the first-team picture at the start of the season that he wasn’t even allocated a squad number has a good chance of facing the league leaders at Molineux.
Bru, who was 29 last week, is anxious to point out that his reason for seeking a possible move away from Portman Road was that he wanted to play more regularly and had nothing to do with him being unhappy at Town, whom he joined on a free transfer in July 2014 after a spell in Bulgaria with Levski Sofia, having previously played in France for Rennes, Dijon and Boulogne.
The Mauritius international has clocked up six appearances this season, five off the bench to add to his one start that came in the 3-1 defeat at Cardiff at the end of October, and with the midfield department decimated by injuries he has a good chance of featuring this weekend.
He said: "At the moment we have eight midfield players injured and the gaffer knows that if he picks me I will do my best as always. I have always worked hard in training to be ready if he needed me to play.
"Before the end of last season I asked to speak to the gaffer and we had a discussion when I told him that maybe I would like to move on. He said ‘Okay, if you want to go you can go’ but I’m still here and I will try to give my best when he needs me to play.
"I made it clear to the gaffer that I didn’t want to move because I was unhappy in Ipswich — it was because I want to play every week and start every game. We had a good chat, I said I might go back to France and he agreed he would let me move on.
"I had some offers from second division clubs in France and also Toulouse (Ligue 1) but it didn’t happen. It was complicated — the manager and the second coach both wanted to sign me but the big boss wanted another player so that’s why it didn’t happen.
"I had their offer and I was very close to signing for them. But there was nothing I could do except come back here, go to the training ground and work hard.
"I have been training with the first team and on a few occasions with the young team. It is no problem for me. If he doesn’t need me and wants me to go and play with the young team, that’s his choice. I’m still under contract and that’s life.
"Sometimes you have good things and sometimes you have bad things — but you have to keep going. If the gaffer doesn’t need me, what can I do? I work hard in training, which is all I can do, and it is up to the gaffer if he needs me to play.
"In my head I was saying that if I wasn’t involved with the first team I still had to do my thing and work hard. That way I would be ready for the next move, whether it was here or elsewhere.
"You never know in football. We have eight midfield players injured so I know I will be involved on Saturday against Wolves. If I work hard every day the gaffer knows I am ready when he needs me.
"I am surprised at how things have worked out. I didn’t know what would happen after I asked to leave and the gaffer said I could go. He brought some midfield players in and I thought it would work out for both of us. But in the end I stayed here and a lot of things have happened.
"There has been a change in circumstances with a lot of injuries to midfield players, so with me training well and working hard the gaffer has used me.
"Maybe I will still be here in six months, I don’t know. Things could be a lot worse than they are for me at the moment.”