McCarthy Delighted With Outstanding Sears Saturday, 22nd Aug 2015 06:00 Town boss Mick McCarthy says he can’t think of too many better pound for pound signings he's made than striker Freddie Sears, who extended his Blues contract until June 2019 with an option for a further season earlier this week. “Not at the moment in terms of the way he’s playing and the goals he’s scoring,” McCarthy said of the 25-year-old, who joined the Blues for £100,000 from Colchester in January. “I thought he was outstanding again the other night, having just signed his contract. Sometimes that can have an adverse effect. “He went up front, then he went and played wide left and he got his goal from there, which was terrific. His setting it up and his movement was fabulous. I’d be hard pushed to find one.” Sears has made a huge impression at Portman Road since joining the Blues, scoring nine goals last season - in addition to 14 for the U’s - and two already this campaign. McCarthy believes Sears has improved his work rate since joining the Blues: “He’s worked far harder than I ever thought he did when I saw him play at Colchester. “I did say to him, as I say to everybody, [you have to work hard to be in my team] and there are some who I have said it to who haven’t run around and don’t play. “Don’t get me wrong, it’s not as simplistic as that. But if you have got really good ability and don’t run around and do the things that you should do that all the Barcelona players do and Bayern Munich players do and Man United and Arsenal and all those teams, you don’t play in my team. “If you run around and you’ve got ability, then it’s very rare that you’re going to be left off that teamsheet, and that’s exactly what I’ve got. “I’ve watched the game again this morning and we were at it, really closing Burnley down. “I think that was maybe a bit of a shock to the system for one or two that had been playing in the Premier League and are used to teams sitting back and playing a bit more cat and mouse football, ‘parasite football’, sitting back and catching you on the break. “There were two teams going hell for leather and I’ve watched it this morning and we were still at it in the 85th minute.” McCarthy previously praised Brett Pitman for his work rate during the Sheffield Wednesday game and he sees no reason for players to do anything other than work hard. “It’s just a prerequisite, I don’t see why it shouldn’t be, personally,” he added. “I wasn’t blessed with great football ability, I could play as a centre-half but, boy, nobody used to like playing against me and I worked hard. “Why shouldn’t they? Can anybody tell me why they shouldn’t? Give me one good reason, never mind five good reasons. I just don’t understand it personally.” Meanwhile, McCarthy is confident that Ainsley Maitland-Niles can keep up his excellent start to the season, despite his youth. “It’s more than realistic, physically he is very capable. I might just have to watch how many games he does play one after the other at 17. “But he’s terrific. As I said, physically he is very capable but technically he’s a really top talent.” Can two games in a week on a regular basis? “He’s just done it, he’s just played the first four games so I can’t add any more than that to it.” The Arsenal youngster’s skills have caught the eye of the rest of the squad: “They’ve all just been impressed with him. It’s lovely when players come in and they don’t know them, because nobody did [know Maitland-Niles]. “They breeze into the place and they light it up with their ability. It’s great for the one who comes in, gives him great confidence, but for the rest of us it’s just been terrific.”
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