x

McKenna: We've Been Keeping a Close Eye On Harper - Ipswich Town News

Boss Kieran McKenna says Town have kept a close eye on midfielder Rekeem Harper’s progress during his spell with Saturday’s opponents Crewe Alexandra.

Harper, 22, who can't play against his parent club at the weekend, joined the Alex on deadline day in January and since then has made 11 starts and three sub appearances.

A signing from West Brom last summer, the former England U19 international started the season in the Town side before dropping out of the picture and didn’t feature under McKenna prior to his switch to the Railwaymen.

McKenna says the Blues have kept in contact with Harper, who is contracted to Town until the summer of 2024 with the club having an option for a further year.

"More so the staff take charge of that with the young loan players,” he said. "I’ve seen all of his games back and all of his clips, as have all the staff.

"We’ve been keeping a really close eye and [head of analysis] Charlie [Turnbull] and [assistant manager] Martyn [Pert] keep in contact with him on a regular basis to make sure that he’s doing OK.

"And he’s obviously picked up some minutes and some exposure, and probably got a better idea of the league and probably got a better idea of his own game and where he wants to keep developing.

"So hopefully that will have been beneficial for him and hopefully I’ll get a chance to speak to him a bit more personally on Saturday and next week as well.”

He added: "We’ll have a speak over the next week or so about his pathway and his progress and how I see it and I certainly want to get his thoughts on how he felt the games went at Crewe, and I’ll share my thoughts as well.

"I think that’s a conversation for me to have with Rakeem as it is with all of our players that are out on loan and make sure we’re planning the right next steps both for the player and the club.”

What to read next:

[Podcast] Blue Monday - New Podcast Now Online
A new podcast from the Blue Monday team is now available.
Town 'Willing to Pay Hackney £35,000-a-Week'
Town are reportedly willing to pay Middlesbrough midfielder Hayden Hackney £35,000-a-week, TWTD having revealed that the Blues had made an approach for the 23-year-old almost a fortnight ago.
U21s Defeated By Luton
A strong Blues U21s side was beaten 2-1 by Luton Town at Bent Lane in a pre-season friendly on Saturday afternoon with Tommy Taylor's first-half strike cancelled out after the break by a much-improved Hatters side.
U19s Draw and Lose Final Games at Czech Tournament
Town’s U19s finished lost one and drew one of today’s place play-off matches at the Zlaty Kahan tournament in Czechia.
Hirst: Early Confrontation Sign of Morsy's High Standards
George Hirst has revealed he almost came to blows with departed captain Sam Morsy early in his Town career, but believes the incident was illustrative of the high standards maintained by the former Blues skipper.
Former Town Defender Ndaba Set For Serie A
Former Town defender Corrie Ndaba is set to join Serie A Lecce from Scottish Premiership Kilmarnock, according to reports in Italy.
McKenna: New Coach Stanislas Comes Highly Recommended
Town manager Kieran McKenna has spoken about the additions of new first-team coach Junior Stanislas and set-piece analyst Michele Aragona.
McKenna: Young Will Bring Experience, Competitiveness and Edge
Blues boss Kieran McKenna says new signing Ashley Young can give the club different things in different areas, among them his experience, competitiveness and his edge.
Hirst: I Thought We Played Really Well, But Aberdeen Gave Us a Massive Challenge
Town striker George Hirst was pleased to add to his pre-season goals tally during the Blues’ 3-1 victory over Aberdeen at Pittodrie.
McKenna: Philogene Very Good Tonight, His Off the Ball Work Was Outstanding
Town manager Kieran McKenna was delighted with Jaden Philogene’s performance in the Blues’ 3-1 victory over Aberdeen at Pittodrie.