Returning striker Shefki Kuqi says he felt like he had "extra lungs" in training at Playford Road today after rejoining the Blues from Crystal Palace on loan, as first revealed by TWTD.

Kuqi told the club site: "I had the best time of my football life at Ipswich and I feel like it's my home.

"I have so many fond memories of my time here. I love the club, the people, the fans. I love the town as well.

"When I trained this morning, I felt so good to be back that it was as though I had some extra lungs. It was just so special to be here again.

"Hopefully now I'm here I can get into the team, score some goals and help the club get into the Premier League.

"The club is in a good position, perhaps better than what people may have expected at the start of the season, and I really feel we can push on. The home form is obviously strong and if we can get some wins away from home, who knows what can happen."

The 31-year-old hopes to give the Portman Road turf a pummelling once more by showing off his famed diving goal celebration: "I have not done it for a year so maybe I can celebrate like that again. It would be nice if it was on Saturday.”

Meanwhile, Crystal Palace assistant manager Mick Jones has explained why the Eagles allowed Kuqi to join one of their promotion rivals at such a crucial stage of the campaign: "He is going to Ipswich for the rest of the season. It's fair for me to say that he was never going to play for the club again after what happened on the field against Wolves and rightly so.

"There's no way anyone can condone that behaviour, so the moment he made that gesture [to the fans] was the moment he finished his career at Crystal Palace, so it's best he moves on.

"Ipswich are in the promotion pack, but they're also going to play teams who we need points off, so in a backhanded way it might do us a favour."

Photo: Action Images

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