Town boss Mick McCarthy says Flynn Downes’s loan move to League Two leaders Luton until the end of the season will benefit both clubs and the player.
The 19-year-old broke into the Blues first team in pre-season and, coincidentally, made his first senior start in the Carabao Cup tie between the clubs at Kenilworth Road when Town ran out 2-0 winners.
However, the England U19 international hasn’t added to his five senior starts and seven sub appearances since November.
"It’s a good signing for both of us, for Luton Town and for Ipswich,” McCarthy said.
"I’ve always been impressed with Luton manager Nathan Jones from when he was the coach at Charlton, his teams played with a diamond, he went to Brighton, then he then went to Luton.
"I said to him after the Luton game, ‘You’ll get promoted, your team’. I thought they were an absolute nap and it looks like that now. He’s going to a team that are doing very, very well.
"I think they want to play him at the base of the diamond and it’ll suit him fine. It’s not the Championship but he’s more than capable of playing in League Two because he’s capable of playing in the Championship.
"If he can get 10 or 12 games between now and the end of the season and they get promoted, it will be brilliant for him. It’ll be a great experience and he’ll come back to us next year a better player for it.”
Not all supporters were impressed to see Downes being allowed to move on even if it is just for the remainder of the season, the Brentwood-born schemer having signed a contract which runs to the summer of 2020, with the club having an option for a further season, in July.
"Fans being disappointed and if there’s any criticism levelled, let’s just clear that up,” McCarthy responded.
"I’m disappointed, I’d love him to be in my team. But he got in it and he got injured, he’d played in the England set-up and then he got injured and his injury probably came through overwork, stress.
"He’d suddenly be coming in here, training with us every day. So he’s had to take a step back.
"He’s not going to dislodge Skusey, Gleeson or Callum so he might as well go and play somewhere else.
"And if he goes and plays in a team that gets promoted, it’s for his development, which is something I consider about all the players as well, it’s not just about me.
"But if he was the best midfield player and he was fit, he’d still be here. But he’s not, so he might as well develop and come back next year as a better player.”