Idris El Mizouni admits he approached the end of last season thinking he could face an uncertain future in the game and fearing his time at Ipswich might be coming to an end.
Town boss Paul Cook famously tagged himself as the "demolition man” as the campaign was about to close, making no secret of the fact that a large number of players he deemed as surplus to requirements would be departing and that he would be busy recruiting replacements.
The 21-year-old Tunisian international admitted: "To be honest with you, I went to Grimsby in January and then I got injured, so I knew I only had another year with Ipswich if the club decided to take up their option on me.
"Also, I had never met the gaffer before so I was a bit apprehensive about the big changes that everyone knew were coming in the summer.
"I had no idea what was going to happen. The gaffer had never seen me train, never mind play, so I didn’t know what to expect.
"But when I went to see him and he said the club was going to take up their option I was very pleased and since then things have worked out pretty well to be fair.
"I can only be positive about Paul Cook. We have a great relationship, I love him and he is very good for everyone at the club, always trying to be positive and trying to help the players, which isn’t easy because of the size of the squad and he obviously can’t pick everyone. For him it’s all about players working hard in training and in the gym to earn their place.”
El Mizouni, born in Paris and qualified to play for Tunisia through his father, is a likely starter in tonight’s game at Gillingham in the Papa John’s Trophy qualifier.
He has three senior appearances to his credit in the current campaign and all have been at Portman Road — in the 1-0 Carabao Cup KO by Newport County, the 2-1 defeat in the Papa John’s Trophy tie against West Ham’s U21s and in last month’s 1-1 League One draw with Sheffield Wednesday, the day before his 21st birthday.
He looked back on the game against the Owls, his first taste of league action with Town in more than two years since he played the first half of the game against AFC Wimbledon in August 2019, which resulted in a 2-1 home win and said: "It was a good experience and I enjoyed every part of the game. I think it was a good game and I thought I did well.”
Many fans made him their man of the match that day and the media reports were also favourable, while Cook was also clearly impressed with the youngster’s 81-minute contribution as he praised him during the post-match press conference.
El Mizouni added: "I appreciated that and it was good to hear the manager’s comments. I had worked pretty hard in training to try to impress him and I got my reward when he picked me in the starting line-up.
"To receive the praise I did afterwards was a great feeling. My dad and other members of my family were also full of praise so it was all good.
"Of course I’d have loved to keep my place but I didn’t really expect it to happen. I knew Sam Morsy would be available for the Doncaster game just a few days later because his suspension would be finished and it was obvious the gaffer would include him.
"I knew I had played well and other people told me the same so for me it was a question of keeping my head up and making sure I carried on working hard in training to make sure I stayed in the gaffer’s mind.”
The midfielder retained his place in the squad for the subsequent 6-0 thrashing of rock-bottom Doncaster when he was an unused substitute but for last week’s below-par display in losing 2-1 at Accrington Stanley he was excluded from the match-day 18.
El Mizouni added: "The gaffer has been good with everyone in the squad. He has been trying to give everyone an opportunity but at the same time it’s up to each and every one of the players to earn the right to play. It is always a boost when the boss says good things about you.
"It’s also encouraging that the club are giving homegrown players a chance. There’s Luke Woolfenden as well and I think the fans appreciate it when a player makes his way through from the academy to the first team. It has happened a lot at Ipswich for many years and I am delighted to be one of the players to do it.
"Obviously there are a lot of new players at the club but I think there will always be room for homegrown players if they can show they are good enough.
"The Ipswich fans have been very good and they have always been positive with me. I have had a lot of positive comments from them and I love them all. I hope they continue to be positive, not just about me but the whole team.”