Axel Tuanzebe and Conor Chaplin have returned to training and could have some involvement this week, while Kalvin Phillips is on the way back from needing 20-plus stitches in his foot, other unnamed players are being assessed ahead of Wednesday’s game at AFC Bournemouth and Aro Muric looks set for shoulder surgery.

Chaplin has been out since the turn of the year with a knee injury but is now back in training with Tuanzebe having been out with a hamstring problem and also having undergone thumb surgery.
 
“Conor's trained with a group over the last week, so that's a positive,” manager Kieran McKenna said. “So he's not going to be too far away from this week.
 
“We've got a few in and around it that are going to be pretty close decisions for this week, to be honest.

“Axel Tuanzebe’s done a little bit of training now with a group, which is a positive, but we have to make judgments on this week. 
 
“Kalvin Phillips went off with a gash in his foot, which needed 20-plus stitches, a pretty serious gash in the Nottingham Forest game, so he hasn't been training with us, but he isn't too far away now. 
 
“So we've got some judgments to make and there's a few others in that boat as well.

“We're assessing people over the next sort of 24 hours to see who's going to be available for the first game. And if anyone doesn't make the first game, then there'll be a possibility they'll be available for the second.”

Someone who won’t be involved is keeper Aro Muric, who suffered an injury while away with Kosovo having put in a man of the match display in their 2-1 Nations League play-off first leg victory over Iceland.

“Aro’s seeing a specialist, he’s looking at a shoulder surgery very possibly on an injury to his labrum in his shoulder,” McKenna said.

“Very unfortunate to him, different shoulder than he has been having some treatment on over the couple of weeks beforehand, it’s completely unrelated to that, so very unfortunate.

“If he has the surgery this week, then that will certainly be a good period of months.”

Quizzed on whether everyone else on international duty came back OK, McKenna added: “We have one or two that are still being assessed, so we have one or two doubts going into Wednesday night that we’ll have to update on by Wednesday.”

Photo: Matchday Images

ruds added 14:58 - Mar 31 Do we know if we still hold a warranty for Muric? Reckon my Rayleigh Grifter was more robust and performed better than Aro, sadly......
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Jugsy added 15:10 - Mar 31 I feel for Muric. No-one comes in and wants to perform badly. The heat he gets from the fans is unmerited, it's the management that select the team and if he's struggling with the pressure and expectation then he should have been taken out of the firing line sooner and provided with some support to get him better prepared. If he's getting MOTM for Kosovo, he's got something about him but for whatever reason it's not working at Portman Rd. Similarly for the rest of the group - our best results are coming away from home. I think that's very telling in how the pressure has built on the lads.

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Leejames99 added 15:29 - Mar 31 Oh cripes, wouldn't be surprised if Hirst has returned injured. Phillips is a loss but Enciso can play right mid. I think Phillogene on right, J Clarke left, Hutch in 10 and Delap and play 4-4-1-1 Or Mckenna has accepted or fate and sticks to his plan and plays with his lads. I think he may rest Delap one yellow card and he out. If all fit Palmer Johnson O'Shea Greaves Townsend Cajuste Enciso Phillogene J Clarke Hutchinson Delap Mckenna favoured 11 Walton Tunazabe Woolfeden Burgess Davis Morsy Taylor Chaplin Broadhead Hutchinson Hirst Let's see where we land vs Bournemouth, more multiple changes again, I don't think we have started with same 11 all season.

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Alphawhiskey added 15:29 - Mar 31 I still think Muric is our best overall keeper. Id like to see him get another crack between the sticks.
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Linkboy13 added 15:54 - Mar 31 Palmer has done little wrong so why would you want Muric back who has made some world class blunders and the defence has little confidence in him according to a member of the coaching staff ive spoken to. I take it Godfrey has gone back to Atalanta after he downed tools against Tottenham and i said he should never play for Town again.
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Leejames99 added 16:07 - Mar 31 Muric has similary made world class saves and earned us points we wouldn't have if not him. We have earned 1 point with Palmer and only 4 with Walton and not had a win this year, the amount of draws we had at start we would be on same points as Southampton if not for Muric and yes we may have a few more but not many tge 5 mistakes he made led to goals not losses and I can't see how Southampton was his fault when they were only in scoring positions due to Davis out of position. And all this defence no faith in him stuff he played with Townsend and O'Shea before and if they had no confidence in a keeper who stopped top strikers scoring to 2 keepers who have let in goals for fun who gets the blame when Muric not in goal, god forbid it be one of the league 1 lads or king Mckenna. The hero status is wearing thin now, they can't all stay forever, part of history of course but that's what it is history. Muric is a good keeper.

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Northstandveteran added 17:51 - Mar 31 Feel for Muric. Signed as a goalkeeper but expected to play as a sweeper.
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Suffolkboy added 17:58 - Mar 31 Without a doubt some of the injuries being incurred at PL level are incredibly serious toreador about; and it emphasises the physical strains put upon players . Perhaps even more so , it ought to cause the Professional Referees to step in ruthlessly to eliminate the reckless and often out of control tackles which go unpunished — and could quite easily be stopped right from the start of all games . Players and Managers must be taught they are unacceptable ; let’s have a bit of intelligent guidance, COYB

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Rimsy added 18:21 - Mar 31 Damn, shoulder surgery. We'll never be able to offload him now.
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PortmanTerrorist added 13:27 - Apr 1 We have all seen Aro struggle, and he should have probably been taken out the team way earlier than he was, but there is a great keeper in there and it is sad he will be out for "months". Having said that, it probably means we will strat next season with vital clarity on who will be number 1, with then Aro having to work his way back and 'earn' the shirt rather than it be handed to him this time. And am sure his time will come again. Get well soon big man.

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Linkboy13 added 15:03 - Apr 1 Muric is a better sweeper than goal keeper perhaps he should be out on the pitch. It always makes me laugh when a player is not performing there's always someone who comments there's a player in there somewhere but unfortunately we are never going to see it great quote though.
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