Stead Admits Exit Possible
Thursday, 15th Oct 2009 08:52

Striker Jon Stead admits that he could leave the club during the January transfer window. The 26-year-old has rarely been involved this season and was sold to Sheffield United by Roy Keane during his time as manager at Sunderland.

Stead says his 2009/10 has so far not gone to plan: “I've only had four starts so far this season and I've been taken off at half-time in some of them, so it's not been ideal.

“I haven't played as well as last season and I'm not going to pull the wool over my eyes and say any different. Very few of us have played well, week-in, week-out.

“If the manager does not pick me from now until January, then I think we'd both be speaking from the same hymn sheet. But I'm certainly not looking to get away. However, he's got rid of me before, and he might do it again.”

Stead denied the newspaper claim made earlier in the season that he would never play for the club again: “It was a shock for me to read that I wasn't going to play for Ipswich again.

“I had personally spoken to the manager, so I knew that this was not the case, and is still not the case.”

The former England U21 international says life in Suffolk appears to have made Keane a more relaxed manager: “I only played under him for a very short time at Sunderland, so it's difficult for me to make comparisons.

“But I think he's more chilled out now, maybe. He's a little bit more open to suggestions from players, but otherwise he's the same manager.”

Photo: Action Images

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