Blues boss Kieran McKenna says fans can expect to get their first glimpse of central defender Axel Tuanzebe in the next couple of weeks, however, the former Manchester United man won’t be involved at Rotherham United on Friday.
Tuanzebe joined Town in the week following the closure of the transfer window having been a free agent after leaving Old Trafford earlier in the summer.
The 25-year-old played his first game at Portman Road during the international break.
"It was a balance of training and the players had last weekend off, but in general, we've trained well,” McKenna said when asked how the break went for players not away with international squads.
"We had an in-house game at the stadium at the end of last week with the U23s mixed in. It gave the players a chance to pull the kits on.
"Axel and Christian [Walton] were involved in that, so we got them back on Portman Road in match kit and it was a benefit to some of the players.
"We used that exercise last week to build some match-type fitness into some and other than that we've trained well over the last few days as well.
"It's a short week and we haven't got the full group back in yet, the full group with Elkan [Baggott], who we won't see before Rotherham.
"We’re still waiting on some returns and we travel tomorrow, so it's definitely a really quick turnaround on this one.
"Thankfully, the players who have been here have trained well, prepared well and the players coming back in are coming back in, I think, to a well-focused group.”
McKenna says Tunazebe, who had been taking part in his own mini-pre-season having joined the Blues lacking fitness and still recovering from a back problem, won’t make the trip to the New York Stadium but is likely to be involved in the next couple of weeks, with the Carabao Cup fourth round tie against Premier League Fulham at Portman Road appearing a likely game for his debut.
"We'll certainly, hopefully, see him over the next couple of weeks. We're not going to involve him on Friday,” the Blues manager said.
"He played 60 minutes in the in-house game last week and he's doing well, medically doing well with no issues with the back.
"He's building up his fitness and, of course, there's a process of building up his understanding within our system and our style of play.
"He’s making good progress and, of course, we have other centre-halves in good form and playing well as well, so it's a great position that we're going to be in if everything keeps going well over the next couple of weeks.
"But certainly in this next block of games, we hope to see Axel on the pitch and starting some games as well and I would say every time you're going to need that strength and depth because it's another relentless block up until the next international break, isn't it?
"It's really intense blocks and then a couple of weeks without a game, so it's quite different, but we're again looking at six games really in the next three weeks.
"Of course, staying in the cup adds to that schedule as well, but that's what we want.
"We've got a big squad. Everyone wants to play. Everyone's training well and deserving to be involved in games, so we're happy to have the games.
"Of course, knowing that they come thick and fast and then there are pauses in the season, so we'll try and attack the game now on Friday night and attack the next block of games and take stock in the November pause when it comes.”