Hyam Still None the Wiser On Town Future Monday, 9th Apr 2018 15:34 Town midfielder Luke Hyam is still none the wiser about whether he will be staying at the club beyond the end of the current campaign. Hyam’s contract expires in the summer but Town have a one-year option on his services and will inform him over the coming weeks of whether they wish to take it up or not. The 25-year-old former Northgate High School pupil said: “I’m waiting for the club to speak to my agent and see if there’s a deal on the table for me to sign. “I believe the deadline is seven days before the final game of the season so it won’t be too long before I know. In the meantime I just want to get on with playing. “I’m not too sure about what’s happening to be honest. All I can do is keep my head down until the end of the season. I know what football’s like and this is a very uncertain time for me personally. “All I can do is wait and see what happens, and what options are going to be out there for me. “Is it a worry? Yes, you could say that, because we are all looking for a bit of security and that applies to anyone in any job, not just me because I’m a footballer. “After the injury problems I’ve experienced over the last couple of years I’m just happy to be back playing football again. “I’ve had a conversation with the manager and he has passed on his recommendation to the owner. “But the manager is not going to be here beyond the end of the season and to be blunt it’s nothing to do with him now. It’s all down to the club what happens next and as for what they choose to do we’ll just have to wait and see. “I’ve never experienced anything like this before in my career. In fact, I don’t think I’ve even seen or heard of it. When the manager knew he was going to be leaving we still had eight games left to play but we have no choice but to get on with it. “It would be a real wrench to leave. I’ve supported the club since I was a young boy and all my friends and family are in the town. It would be hard but life goes on, football goes on, and I’ll just have to take it as it comes. “I’ve actually been at the club since I was 11 so I’ve been a part of things for a long time and I might have taken it for granted in a way. “Apart from a short stint on loan at Rotherham for a month I’ve never been away from Ipswich. I suppose it’s a bit unheard of in football these days, someone staying as long as I have at one club. “The lads even take the mickey about me not leaving Ipswich but it’s just the way it has worked out. “I haven’t had a chance to leave or even think about leaving. In football you never know what’s round the corner but for the time being I’m just waiting to hear.” If Hyam’s services are not required at Portman Road don’t be too surprised if he follows in the footsteps of former team-mate Tommy Smith, who left Town earlier this year for a new challenge across the Atlantic in the MLS with Colorado Rapids. Hyam said: “Tommy is one of my best mates and I’m still in regular contact with him. He tells me how much he is loving it out there, even sending me pictures of him chilling by the pool and things like that. “I’m very open-minded but the bottom line is that I want to be playing football on a regular basis. “I’ve got to be open-minded because I don’t know what’s next for me. My girlfriend and I are keeping our feet on the ground for the time being and we’ll find out in due course what is out there. “We have spoken numerous times about the possibility of moving elsewhere so we’re ready to deal with the situation when the picture becomes clearer. “Since I returned to action I’ve been loving the fact that I’m playing again. “At this stage of my career, and bearing in mind what’s happened in the past with the injuries, I need to play games and I’m obviously happiest when I’m fit and available for selection. “I want to get a run of games again and if it’s here, great, but if it’s got to be somewhere else we’ll deal with it. “It has been a bit of a strange situation at the club with so many central midfielders ruled out through injury in the past couple of seasons. “When everyone is fit it gives the manager some great options, not just the experienced lads but younger lads coming through as well. It’s a crazy situation, a bit weird to be honest.” Hyam knows that if he is released by Town it could lead to an exciting new chapter in his career — just as Burnley goalkeeper Nick Pope has discovered after he was shown the door after spending time alongside Hyam in the Ipswich academy but now finds himself shortlisted for a place in Gareth Southgate’s squad for the World Cup in Russia. Hyam added: “It’s crazy how things often work out and how they change in football. “I was in various age groups with Nick when we were growing up and for him to be released and then be where he is now is amazing. He was at Bury Town and has worked his way up again. It’s a credit to him. “It’s always hard to receive a knock-back at a young age but to get to where he is now is an incredible achievement. If I’m honest I didn’t see that happening but people develop at different ages and his story is an inspiration to us all. “If you are let go at 13, 14 or 15 you never know what’s around the corner. “However old you are, there’s always room for improvement but you need to play games for it to come through. That’s why I will jump at the chance to play, whether it’s here or elsewhere.”
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