Everton boss David Moyes says his Blues counterpart Kieran McKenna has done a great job at “a real football club”, despite Town’s relegation back to the Championship following one season back in the top flight.
The Blues travel to Goodison Park for the Toffees’ home since 1892’s penultimate match on Saturday.
"A great, great young manager, who half the country wanted last year,” Moyes said.
"I could stand corrected here, but I think he’s the only one who’s taken a team from [League One] to the Championship to the Premier League.
"I thought I was going to do it when I was manager Preston, [League One] straight up, Championship, but I lost in the play-off final to Big Sam [Allardyce]’s Bolton.
"Kieran’s been able to take the team all the way, which is an unbelievable achievement.
"We’re all talking a lot about Wrexham at the moment, how well Wrexham are doing, amazing work Phil Parkinson has done, but Kieran has done that into the Premier League, which is so good.
"And let’s just remember, Ipswich is a club, if you’re of a generation, you remember the Ipswich Town teams [of Sir Bobby Robson], they were fantastic, they were challenging for First Division titles.
"He’s done it at a real football club. He’ll be disappointed with this season but in the main I think he’s done a brilliant job there.”
Moyes, one of the many Premier League managers understood to be showing interest in Town frontman Liam Delap, could have Dominic Calvert-Lewin back in his squad, but at best on the bench, after the 11-times-capped England striker returned to training this week following a hamstring injury.
Another attacker, summer Town target Armando Broja, is available having been ineligible for last week’s 1-0 defeat at Chelsea, his parent club.
James Tarkowski (hamstring), Jesper Lindstrøm (hernia) and Orel Mangala (knee) remain sidelined.