Trevoh Chalobah knew where to turn for advice when he joined Town on a season-long loan last summer and was told by then manager Paul Hurst that he intended using him in a midfield role at Portman Road.
The Stamford Bridge youngster had always regarded himself as a central defender so when Hurst broke the news to him he quickly consulted big brother Nathaniel, an England international no less, who could be considered something of an expert in the field.
The Blues’ loanee said: "I wasn’t a complete stranger to playing in midfield because I had played there a couple of times at Chelsea last year.
"But I had always regarded myself as a central defender, so I got to work on familiarising myself with the new role. I spoke to my brother and watched videos of him playing.
"I had to change my game accordingly and we worked on it a lot through the pre-season training.
"It has worked out so well that if you asked me now about my favourite position, where I’d like to play as my career progresses, I’d have to say midfield. Before I came to Ipswich I’d have definitely described myself as a centre-back.
"I have learned a lot and this league is tough physically. I’ve played a lot of games and probably tired a bit towards the end of the season but I think I have coped pretty well.
"I know I’m a much better player for the experience. When I was playing for the Chelsea U21 side it was nothing like as intense as it has been every week in the Championship.
"It has been what I would call proper men’s football, a whole lot different to the U21 game. People know how hard it can be in the Championship and that’s why so many clubs send players out on loan to it.
"I think I have developed well. I’ve always been physical in my game but there’s no question that playing in the Championship has improved that side of it.”
Chalobah, 19, has no idea what the future holds beyond Town’s last two games of the current campaign, at Sheffield United on Saturday and at home to Leeds eight days later, and won’t find out until he reports back to parent club Chelsea, where he joined their academy at the age of nine, for pre-season training.
Before that he has an England U21 training camp, after which boss Aidy Boothroyd will name his squad for the final stages of the European Championship being staged in Italy between June 16 and 30 and in which England have been drawn together with France, Romania and Croatia in one of three qualifying groups. The winners of each group, together with the best runner-up, will go through to the semi-finals.
"I’m just hoping I can do well enough at the training camp to earn a place in the squad,” added Chalobah.
"It’s a big honour to represent my country and there might be a couple of the Ipswich players there as well, with Andre Dozzell and Flynn Downes both in with a chance.”
Regardless of whether or not he wins a place in the England U21 squad, Chalobah’s future will remain up in the air until he returns for pre-season training with his parent club.
He said: "I’ll report back and see what’s what. I genuinely have no idea what they are planning for me so I will just go back to the club and see what they say.
"I haven’t even met the manager, Maurizio Sarri, yet because of coming here on loan last year before he was appointed.
"It will be up to him and his staff what happens next and I won’t know until I go in to the club what the plan is, although I suppose another loan move to a Championship club is a possibility.”
Meanwhile, Chalobah is every bit as bemused as many fans that Manchester United midfielder Paul Pogba was preferred to Chelsea’s Eden Hazard in the PFA Team of the Year named earlier today.
"Everyone knows Hazard should be in there, including Hazard himself,” said the Town loanee.
"But I don’t think it will bother him too much because he has been nominated for the Player of the Year award. Things like that happen — it’s all a matter of opinion — and we have to move on.”
And how about Chelsea’s chances of clinching a top four Premier League slot and with it a place in next season’s Champions League? "Yes, I think they’ll do it,” added Chalobah. "Results have been going their way recently and I’m backing them to do it.”