Boss Mick McCarthy says 19-year-old Elliott Hewitt has everything it takes to be a top class right-back. The Wales U21 international has started all Town’s league games so far this season, having joined the Blue from Macclesfield in the summer of 2012.

McCarthy says he’s been pleased with the youngster’s performances, despite him coming up against a number of difficult opponents in the opening weeks of the campaign.

“Yes, very much so,” he said. “And not one of our other players has played against five opponents like he’s had to play against — Garath McCleary, Royston Drenthe, Jobi McAnuff, Junior Hoilett and Shaun Wright-Phillips.

“He’s had them all up against him at some stage. And I have to say he’s handled himself pretty well. I was giving out at him a tiny little bit for the QPR goal because he let him get the cross in.

“But if I turned that around I would be saying to my winger ‘Well done, 90th minute, you went and took the full-back on and you got it’. But overall, I’m pleased with him.”

Hewitt underwent two hip impingement operations prior to joining the Blues from the Silkmen for an initial £250,000 last summer, and a lengthy recovery period limited his involvement during 2012/13.

McCarthy says that while the Bodelwyddan-born defender has great promise, he’s yet to prove his fitness over a season.

“He’s got everything to be a really top class right-back,” he said. “I haven’t seen him play that much, there’s always a question having had the injuries, can he play 40-odd games? We don’t know yet.

“Last week was the first time he’d played three games in a week. He played on Saturday, he went off and played [for the Wales U21s] on the Wednesday and maybe that affected him in the 90th minute at QPR.

"I’m not sure Shaun Wright-Phillips was running around on Wednesday for 90 minutes and that does have an effect. But overall, I’m really pleased with him.”

Photo: Action Images

BrettenhamBlue added 06:46 - Aug 27 Very pleased that we are developing a 19 year old right-back. He has real potential for the future. He's much more consistent than Jack Ainsley etc Do feel we are over-reliant on him though and I'd like to see him play 20 games this season not 40. We do need 1 more player who can compete in this position- a right-sided defender/midfielder who can also occasionally give Edwards a rest. Know its early days, but still think we need a Stearman clone, Kevin Doyle on loan for the season and Ebanks-Blake on a years contract. Really wish we had made an effort to get hold of Jonathon Spector when we had the chance- the guy can play at the top level and will do a great job for Birmingham City this season. Do feel the ship will rock some more before we get steady.

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BrettenhamBlue added 06:58 - Aug 27 Just been looking at League 1 and League 2. Sad to see how far Coventry City and Portsmouth have fallen. Just glad we are not in the same boat.
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ArnieM added 07:38 - Aug 27 I think its great we have a player the calibre of Hewitt . He will go onto great things. The thing that saddens me though is he will probably be leaving for the PL once he's had one good season under his belt with us, and we will get sod all for him - like we always do and the money will "disappear" into the dark hole of Town's ever growing debt. That's what really saddens me .

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Mark added 07:45 - Aug 27 If Hewitt is going to develop as we would like, he has to play games. In theory, we have Veseli to compete with him for the right-back place, plus Edwards, Chambers or Berra could play there in an emergency I suppose.
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Stato added 08:21 - Aug 27 Mick is right to point out his potential but he wouldn't been in my starting eleven right now.
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bluefeast added 09:04 - Aug 27 He is a class act in the making , he needs games to improve. Our squad has a lot of new additions and is work in progress. However the squad needs to be used not just the last 4 league games where Hyam Edwards have in particular underperformed.
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homer_123 added 09:05 - Aug 27 @BossMan - really? Who would you have? How is he to develop if he isn't getting games? Standard of reserve team football isn't high enough. Have we not learnt anything from the likes of Cresswell, Smith et al? Would you put Veseli in, a player with even less experience of first team football?
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Stato added 09:24 - Aug 27 @homer He has made more mistakes than anyone other than Loach and as has been highlighted by a good number on here it appears that Edwards is being held back to cover him. If you remember rightly Smith only blossomed after several spells in and out of the first team and I'd be delighted to see Hewitt as cover but not in the starting eleven. I'm still hoping that despite Mick saying otherwise that we will go back for Stearman but even with the current squad I'd prefer to see the experience of Berra at this time. There were times against Reading in particular where he made me very nervous and we have DEVELOPMENT squad fixtures for that very reason.

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Ridgeboy83 added 09:27 - Aug 27 Totally agree with you homer 123, he needs to play games. Just look at Creswell as a prime example. He came to town with great prospects and was by no means the finished article as i dont think he is yet either but he made some mistakes when he first came into the team and just by playing he has learnt and is turning into a fantastic player. I think Hewitt will follow the same path and after all he is only 19!! Again Smith is another one who just had to play games to improve and look at him now. I do believe if we can keep Creswell we will have the best to full backs in the league before long, we just need strengthen the creativness of the side and we will have a good season.

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homer_123 added 09:37 - Aug 27 @BossMan - Berra is no right back (being a left footed CB), are you suggesting that we move Chambers to RB then? Yes, he has made a few mistakes but as MM has rightly pointed out, he's been up against some quality players. Are you expecting him to be perfect from the off? We didn't drop Cresser when he didn't play too well. As for Smith - yes, he was in and out of the team - the reality is, he would have benefited from both more game time and regular partner. Hewitt will benefit from regular football, next to Chambers, week in and week out - even with development squad fixtures, it is not replacement for regular football. He needs to play against the type of players he has been to learn. Madness to think of him as merely cover.

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MickMillsTash added 10:01 - Aug 27 Think Hewitt can be excellent and under McCarthy will learn his key duties. With Edwards ahead of him there could be a good partnership - in fact with our 2 centre mids so reluctant to get in the box I think it is essential that Hewitt is kept in the side and encouraged to overlap more. Skuse will find him. Would rather watch Hewitt learning than get in a David Unsworth type player.

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Stato added 10:51 - Aug 27 @homer Moving Chambers over is one option and for some fixtures playing 3 centre halves might work. I'm glad we have Hewitt and am as confident as everyone else that he will blossom so am not going to bang on trying to win the argument as time will tell and I'd love to be proved wrong anyway.
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Popeye added 12:01 - Aug 27 Got a lot to learn but can only do so by playing week in week out. However, he got to stop wingers beating him and putting crosses in. Think he has been responsible for at least 2 crosses that have directly lead to goals being conceded (Reading/QPR) so he needs to work on that. Like to see him play as a wing back in a 5-3-2. Possibly might be dropped for Birmingham game and replaced by Freddie if MM sticks with 4-4-2 formation.

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Edwardebenezer added 13:51 - Aug 27 No exciting news coming out of Portman Road then, like adding some quality to the squad. He will be telling us next that Murphy's one for the future and he has 20 goals a season in him. Can't wait till 2015, should be a good season!
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TimmyH added 20:36 - Aug 27 Stearman or Hewitt at the moment? no brainer! but Hewitt as Mick says has potential but as another poster mentioned I feel he is not capable of starting for a full season or at the moment of being a cert for our right back position.
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Fatcatevans added 08:49 - Aug 28 Popeyes the two goals you lay at Hewitts door could just as easily be attributed to Loach for flapping at the cross against Reading and Nouble for stupidly and unnecessarily conceding the last minute free kick at QPR. I'd rather we persevere with Hewitt than accommodate Edwards who is bringing nothing to the party this season
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timspencero added 00:29 - Aug 29 very lenient comments. he was responsible not only for the QPR goal, but got turned inside for the second Leeds goal. he's young, and I would naturally love to see him improve in a town shirt. but let's not delude ourselves unnecessarily.
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