Everton U23s boss David Unsworth believes midfielder Conor Grant will have learnt from his loan spell with the Blues, despite it having been cut short at the end of last week. The 21-year-old, who had been due to remain with the Blues for the whole season, played for the Merseysiders’ U23s in a 1-0 victory over Manchester City at Southport this afternoon.

Town boss Mick McCarthy ended the youngster’s spell early as his first-team opportunities have been limited since joining the Blues in August. The Fazakerley-born schemer, whose loan will formally end in January, made four starts and three sub appearances without scoring.

“I’m a big fan of the loan system - I wish it was still a youth loan system - but I sometimes think a bad loan situation isn’t always a bad thing in the long run,” Unsworth, who himself made 16 appearances on loan with Town in 2005, scoring one goal, told the Liverpool Echo.

“It’s a great experience. Ipswich is a great club with great people, Mick [McCarthy] is a fantastic guy, so he will have learnt something from it.

“This is what these players have to do, it’s fine. We certainly will target a few of the players to go out on loan in January.

“He [Grant] has not been getting the minutes he, or us, would desire. So, he’s going to be playing for us up until January and hopefully with a view to loan him out in January if the right club comes around.”

Prior to his stint with Town, Grant had spent time on loan with Motherwell and Doncaster Rovers.

Meanwhile, the Blues' U23s are in action against Crystal Palace on Monday afternoon at Playford Road (KO 1pm).

Photo: TWTD

prebsa added 20:53 - Nov 20 Stopped reading when he said Mick is a fantastic guy!
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dirtydingusmagee added 21:03 - Nov 20 he learned what ? i doubt he learned much with Town under Mick McCarthy,that will benefit him .
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Cloddyseedbed added 21:30 - Nov 20 Yep he learn't that he had a lucky escape, before anything else was coached out of him!
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Bluetone added 21:31 - Nov 20 I suggest most of what he has learnt is prefaced with "how not to".
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MicksZzzTactics added 02:39 - Nov 21 WTF? LOL! Most befitting brainy quote I can come up with in this regard at this late hour (aye someone has to walk the "gridiron-fixated" dog after another loooong NFL Sunday :-) ... which also just happens to be quite befitting of so many of The Dinosaur's aweZzzzome dispositions in genreal btw!, is Henry Ford's evergreen:
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sidtheswan added 05:10 - Nov 21 When you have a poor centre midfield let's get rid of a decent player ! Would have started him instead of Bish couldn't of been any worse !
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sereneblue added 13:07 - Nov 21 Learn how to play boring negative football. I hope it won't hinder his career.
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Berts_chin added 17:59 - Nov 21 What little I saw of him, I rated him. Honestly think that he could have done a job for us. Can't help feeling that he'll go out on loan to another Championship club and come back to haunt us in the second half of the season.
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Carberry added 18:22 - Nov 21 How could this happen? He was no doubt carefully scouted (we hope), thrown into the team when he wasn't fully fit, plugged holes in midfield when injuries were rampant and is deemed not to be good enough and has to be sent home. Who's messed up here? Not the boy.
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BrettenhamBlue added 05:38 - Nov 22 He passed forwards too much, huge mistake on his part
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dubblue added 20:32 - Nov 22 of course we are so lucky to still have Skouglas!
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