Midfielder Luciano Civelli has left Town by mutual consent, the club having settled the remaining year of his contract. The Argentinian is set to join Paraguayan club Libertad later today.

The 24-year-old says his time with the Blues won’t be forgotten, despite his injury-hit two and a half years at Portman Road hardly going to plan: "It's a decision that I'm happy with.

"I will never forget the supporters at Ipswich. They were fantastic to me when I first arrived here and especially when I was injured.

"I would meet fans around the town and they would always ask how I was getting on. The reaction I got when I played my first game after the injury for the first team was very special — it was an emotional moment for me.

"I want to thank the medical staff at the club, the coaches, the manager and the other players. They have all been great to me and I wish Ipswich all the best for the future."

Speaking before leaving for South America and with his Paraguayan deal yet to be completed, he added: "This is the right move for me. It happens in football that things don’t always work out.

“But I am still young and there are hopefully a few opportunities for me back home to join a club, get my career going again and play regular first team football.

"My knee is 100 per cent now but I have missed a lot of football and want to make up for those times. I hope Ipswich have a good season and want to wish the club well."

Blues boss Paul Jewell said he hopes the midfielder has a more successful time with his future clubs: "Luca worked hard to get back after what was obviously a bad injury and wants to be playing regular football again. We wish him every success for the future."

Civelli joined Town from Banfield in Argentina in January 2009 for a fee of £1.1 million when the club was under Jim Magilton’s management.

Having impressed in his early games for the Blues, two months after signing on at Portman Road, the Pehuajó-born player suffered a serious multi-ligament injury in the 1-1 home draw with Burnley, only his eighth match for the club.

That injury sidelined him for the next 23 months, the left-sided midfield man only returning to the first team as a sub in the 3-0 home victory over Sheffield United in February of this year.

Eight more substitute appearances followed but without Civelli ever seriously looking like he would force his way into Paul Jewell’s starting line-up.

Much the same was true this pre-season. After being included in the party which made the trip to Holland and having started the opening match against FC Eindhoven, Civelli dropped into the reserves squad and his last game for the Blues was the second string friendly at Bury Town last Wednesday.

Photo: Action Images

Lovetown added 12:12 - Jul 28 Tbh i'm glad he's gone bad sighning, he was never fit and tbh didn't really look like he fitted our style of play. Good luck
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delias_cheesy_flaps added 12:27 - Jul 28 Cheers Churchmans at least you have an open mind unlike some of the x-factor brain washed brigade on this board. I may not have been for 5 years but I hardly missed a game for 30 years before, I think I've earned the right to put my point of view across. My opinion might not be PC and some people may not like that but then again I don't call posters knob-heads etc. if I don't agree with their view either!

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broomfield123 added 12:29 - Jul 28 not the first and wont be the last player to have had this done to them. Same as us to have a player to get injured early on the get rid of once fit. we arent the 1st and wont be the last club to have this situation. but hope things work out anyway
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bizman added 12:42 - Jul 28 Luciano Civelli.. Good Luck in getting back in to the game
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sirbenofmorlingshire added 12:56 - Jul 28 Our second Ulrich Le Pen??? Hope he has better luck closer to home, bad luck on the injuries, but hey ho, people come and go, and it's not like he was our star player. Onwards and Upwards.
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Eiffel65 added 13:01 - Jul 28 Good luck, Luca. Keep your head up. You never got your chance here, very sad. Incidentally, is there a team called "Muerte" anywhere in the world? Then the decision would be "Libertad o Muerte"! E65. @delias_cheesy_flaps: I'm sure it's called "insurance" ... Didn't we pay Finidi George £1m to buy him out? That was in very different circumstances, and was *not* insurable. Finidi was a greedy bar-steward, Luca never had his chance courtesy of a devastating injury. Very different viewpoints, IMHO.

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AlanMahon2011 added 13:02 - Jul 28 Terrible footballer... no ball control wat so ever!
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crazycomfort added 13:04 - Jul 28 Good luck Luca, sorry to see u go, better luck for the future...
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simonsays added 13:06 - Jul 28 Best of luck in the future. Shame about the injury, very unlucky to get one that bad. Delias cheese flaps or whatever your name is you are a complete numpty!
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delias_cheesy_flaps added 13:13 - Jul 28 says the man with a Cowell avatar....LMAO
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DiamondGezzer added 13:14 - Jul 28 Churchmans speaker of trueth and facts - we kick off at 3 o'clock on a Saturday !
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Hermann_eats_puffin added 13:17 - Jul 28 Good luck for the future Luca! It's a real shame that it didn't work out for him here because I think that he showed real promise in those first 8 games for Town and I'd hoped that he could push on the be a great player for us following in the footsteps of the legend that is Mauricio Taricco. However it's a real shame that a horrendous injury put paid to a very promising career with us. I think that giving him the chance to rebuild his career in South America is probably the best thing for all concerned. I wish him the best of luck for the future and hope that he stays injury free and gets back to enjoying his football on the pitch.

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churchmans added 13:20 - Jul 28 DIAMONDGEEZER you nuggett do you go from home straight to the ground? these people get there at 1 and buy a programme with a shandy and talk pollocks tactics like they now what there on about. and then hammer people like DCF on here before x factor go on.
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churchmans added 13:22 - Jul 28 SPEAKER OF TRUTH AND FACTS beleive!!!!
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Ryorry added 13:30 - Jul 28 Luca, you still have your health is the main thing; personally I think the S. American style of footie will suit you better as it seemed to me you were lacking the pace needed for English footie following your injury. You're a talented guy and I hope things work out really well for you, all the best. As for some of the disgraceful comments on this thread - they may be true footie fans but they're bluddy unpleasant human beings - honestly, sometimes I'm ashamed to be a Town fan.

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Langdon_Blue added 13:33 - Jul 28 Such a shame that he never got to settle in properly, have a run in the team and show us what he could do. However, I remember a certain Mr Keane stating last year, that he felt Luca had lost his nerve in reserve matches on returning from his long term injury. Presumably PJ agrees with that conclusion??
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rosseden added 13:36 - Jul 28 ''As for some of the disgraceful comments on this thread - they may be true footie fans but they're bluddy unpleasant human beings - honestly, sometimes I'm ashamed to be a Town fan'' agreed..... couldnt have put it better myself.......
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Garv added 13:37 - Jul 28 Good luck Luca, such a shame it didn't work out. Nice to see lots of respect between player and fans though!
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TractorBeezer added 13:59 - Jul 28 Good luck Luca. I wish you well and hope that you get your career successfully back on track.
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ElvisMariner added 14:07 - Jul 28 All the best Luciano and good luck for the future
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g30_ITFC added 14:11 - Jul 28 Good player, but like he said, not everything is to be! Good luck Luca
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bostonusablue added 14:20 - Jul 28 I never rated him in the games that I saw him play. I do not know what all the fuss is about. It's hard to judge his ill-fated Town career on a few starts though. Good luck for the future, son. Another new signing through the door as a replacement, perhaps?
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Marcus added 14:28 - Jul 28 Sorry to see him leave but to come back from a supposedly career-ending injury is an achievement. It's sad things never worked out but as others have said perhaps a south American team would fit his style better at this stage. Maybe with a couple of years football he can return to his best but he'd never get that in town reserves. Good luck Luca! Also consider we only have 50% of his contract so another team also had to agree to release him.

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Ebantiass added 14:50 - Jul 28 All the best Lucka shame it never worked out for you here.
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bluepeter added 14:51 - Jul 28 Can you remember dr albram and me saying that Luca would never play for us again? It was not an insult but a reality of that type of injury.
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