Town forward Omari Hutchinson has heaped praise on manager Kieran McKenna for the impact on his development as a player since first arriving at Portman Road last summer.

Hutchinson initially joined the Blues on loan from Chelsea as a 19-year-old ahead of Town’s return to the Championship and played a starring role as McKenna’s side were promoted to the Premier League for the first time in 22 years.

Having only started seven of the first 30 games of the season, Hutchinson was ever-present in the final nine matches of the campaign and has started all but one of Town’s 12 Premier League matches this season since his return to the club on a permanent basis.

The forward credits the manager for his continuous improvement during his time at the club and highlighted the key qualities that McKenna has in order to help him progress his game.

“Trust is a key word, belief as well,” Hutchinson said. “Not many coaches take young players under their wing and build them.

“Coaches want young players with experience but he’s given me that time to develop myself as a player. We’re training very hard and I’m working to get better every game.”

Hutchinson’s progress has been on a rapid upward trajectory since the beginning of 2024 and he believes it is important to be resilient and have a strong mindset with support around him in order to achieve his lofty ambitions.

Town’s record signing said: “That’s how I am as a player, I want to be the first name on the team sheet and I work hard in training.

“Last season when I was coming off the bench I was trying to impact games as much as I can. Now I’ve grabbed it with two hands and I’m trying to get goals, get assists and win games for my team.

“A lot of ups and downs in my career so far, there’s been a lot of setbacks but I’ve overcome them. All I do is work as much as I can with my brothers and my dad outside of football.

“I’ve got that strong mentality to keep going and I’ve kind of got through it. That’s what has got me to where I am today.

“I think it’s very important to have a family that supports you and looks out for you, but also doesn’t get in the way of things. Especially for a young player coming up I feel like you need that support from your family. I get 10-plus people each game coming to my matches so it’s a lot and I’m grateful for it.”

While this season has been Hutchinson’s first as a Premier League regular, he did make one top flight appearance for Chelsea as a substitute against Manchester City in January 2023.

Asked to compare his current position with his debut, he said: “My debut was a bit different to how it is now. At the time Chelsea wasn’t a good space, they were losing a lot of games and it was a tough environment to be in but I’d say it built me, I can reflect now and it was in a much different situation. Now I feel like I’m at home and I’m playing every game, it’s a lot different.”

Progressing through the academies of Arsenal and Chelsea is no mean feat and getting to the first team of clubs of that stature is certainly an achievement in itself.

Hutchinson always believed he could make it at the top level and says he listened to some wisdom of more experienced professionals while in and around the training ground at the two London clubs.

“I’ve been at two of the best clubs in the world,” he said. “I’ve trained with the first team with both of them and I’ve seen what it takes to get to that stage.

“A lot of senior players have spoken to me saying I’m a very talented player, just make sure you focus on this and that and you’ll make it, telling me what I’ll get distracted with. I’ve taken that on board, gone a different route and I’ve shown myself from there.

“As a young player you need that self-confidence and self-belief that you’re going to make it and be one of the best in the league or in the world, that’s what I’ve been doing.”

Back at Portman Road, Hutchinson has been forming an exciting partnership with fellow 21-year-old forward Liam Delap, who has taken to the Premier League in relentless fashion with six goals to his name already.

“We’re very much getting closer and better as well,” Hutchinson said of his club and country teammate. “At the start of the season we didn’t know how he played and he didn’t know how I played, but I think over the course of the season we’re training very well together.

“We’re getting that chemistry and we’re building that bond that you need as a striker and a 10.

“I’m getting to know him as a person as well off the pitch, he’s a really funny guy and he’s got a lot of character about him. We’re just bonding and building.”

The pair have carried their club partnership over to the national set-up, with Hutchinson recently receiving his first call-up to England U21s, scoring his first goal in October.

While admitting the decision to choose between pursuing playing for England or Jamaica, of whom he has two full caps, was difficult, Hutchinson says he is only focused on his club football for the time being.

He said: “It was a very tough decision but I feel like what’s best for me now is to play U21s, play in the first team with Ipswich and stay consistent.

“I’m not even thinking about that now. I’ve had a few camps with them, I’ve really enjoyed it and I’m just focusing on my club football right now.”

Asked of his ambitions to play for the England senior squad, he added: “It’s a very high ambition but I’m not really focused on that right now.”

Hutchinson went viral as a 12-year-old when a video showed him being praised by Brazil legend Pelé during a football freestyle performance while he was in the academy set-up at Arsenal.

Asked for more details on the famous clip, he said: “It was at a Brentford tournament when I was with the under-12s at Arsenal. He was there, he came towards the end and we did some freestyling skills with the F2Freestylers. All the teams gathered round in a circle and each player came one-by-one to show off some skills and I got forced to go up.

“I think he saw and liked and when we took a picture with him he told me to come and sit next to him and rest on his knee. I was doing kick-ups, around the world, put the ball on my neck and spun around.

“My grandma used to say you’re going to be like Pele when you’re older, she gave me a lot of books and cards. Obviously I didn’t get to watch him play, it was just from my grandma really.

“It had its pros and cons, I got quite popular at a young age. But at the time I wasn’t playing as much football, I wasn’t really a starter when I was at Arsenal so it was difficult at times because you want to be playing every game and every minute at a young age.

“After that I’d just play football with my dad after a game and do our extras. I was also doing futsal for about a year one I left Charlton which I found really enjoyable.”

When asked what advice he would give to his younger self in the clip with Pelé, Hutchinson named humility as a key attribute but not before confirming he still has the flair in his locker nowadays.

“Firstly, I can still do the skills,” he joked. “Secondly, what I’d say to him is to believe in yourself even more, that’s what it takes. Stay humble, keep working hard and try to do your best as much as you can on and off the pitch.

“I’ve learned that from last season, that was my first season in the Championship and in men’s football.

“It’s not really the managers but your teammates in your team that are going to tell you what you need to work on. I couldn’t really hide from it or not do it because it’ll get brought up straight away.”

TWTD

Vancouver_Blue added 14:50 - Nov 29 He is only going to get better under KMcK
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armchaircritic59 added 19:20 - Nov 29 A very humble, hard working young man, of who'm it's a pleasure to have at the club. On a side note, OM mentioned Futsal. I really wish it was far greater known and used by clubs, especially ours. The speed and much tighter space of the court, would help greatly in improving players tight ball control and speed of thought etc.
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bobble added 23:01 - Nov 29 5 a side indoor. What a game ,2nd only to darts
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flykickingbybgunn added 10:00 - Nov 30 I remember when he first came on for us. He did something brilliant and then stood back as if to say "That was good" and promptly lost the ball. What a difference he is now! A credit to himself, his family, KMcK, and the club.
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