Town boss Kieran McKenna says forward Jaden Philogene isn’t expected to need surgery but is still set to miss the rest of the season, while Omari Hutchinson and Kalvin Phillips will both miss Sunday’s home game against Arsenal, but Liam Delap has trained this week.

Philogene suffered a knee injury moments after coming off the bench during last Sunday’s 2-2 draw at Chelsea and the issue has proved to be as McKenna anticipated after the match.

“He’s seeing a specialist this week,” the Blues boss said. “As we thought, it’s an MCL injury, it doesn’t look like he needs surgery but it’s pretty much definite that he won’t play for us again this season.

“Big disappointment really for us and for him. It’s a challenge for the group in terms that it’s another one in that position and that’s three right wingers, one an MCL, one an ACL [Wes Burns] and one an achilles [Chieo Ogbene].

“But also for Jaden because he arrived later than we all would have wished and it’s really hard, as we spoke about before, to get up momentum and get up to speed.

“But he was working really hard and trying his best at the training ground, so it’s disappointing he won’t get a chance to try and build some of that momentum before the end of the season.

“But no doubt he’ll come back strong, he’s really professional and he’ll do his rehab well and he’ll come back strongly next year.”

Asked if the 23-year-old is likely to be ready for pre-season, McKenna added: “We can’t speak too much on that, the timescales aren’t definite and there’s an international tournament [the European U21 Championship] in the summer as well that he would have liked to have been a part of.

“I don’t think anything’s 100 per cent yet, we can only say it’s very unlikely he’ll play for us but hopefully he’ll be ready in pre-season.”

Hutchinson, a former Arsenal academy youngster, remains out with a hamstring injury sustained in his first training session after returning from international duty with the England U21s at the end of last month.

Phillips suffered an injury in the achilles area in training last week ahead of the visit to Chelsea. McKenna says both remain unavailable.

“Omari, not ready yet, still not fully training with the group, so we have to be careful with that one. Kalvin, not ready and not training with the group,” he said.

Better news is that 12-goal top scorer Delap, who was on the bench at Chelsea due to a rib problem, has been training this week.

“He’s trained, I can’t say he’s absolutely clear yet, but he’s safe to train, so we’ve got some judgements to make going into the weekend.”

Conor Chaplin has been back on the bench for the last few games having suffered a knee problem at the turn of the year and McKenna says the 28-year-old is doing well having come on as an 81st-minute sub in the defeat to Wolves.

“He’s ready, he’s training well,” the Blues manager continued. “With the MCL injuries, they can always linger on a little bit, but he’s training well and he’s an important part of the group.

“Of course, it’s really hard to get up to full speed when you’ve missed that time and you’re in the last throes of a Premier League season, but if anyone’s going to give their full commitment to doing so, it’s Conor. He’s training great and he’s ready to go.”

Photo: Reuters

Denny32 added 14:48 - Apr 18 Just as well.we more or less relegated. We couldn't have a worse end to the season with injuries...
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Leejames99 added 14:57 - Apr 18 Oh well, no need to make excuses for picking the league 1 lad favourites this week, no doubt Davis starts, we are the joke of the division
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Widj123 added 15:02 - Apr 18 No miss worst 20 odd million ever spent the chaps totally useless
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Juggsy added 15:05 - Apr 18 LeeJames99 give it a fookin rest will you ….
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BotesdaleBlue added 15:15 - Apr 18 The three certainties in life: - Death; - Taxes; - Every post by Leejames contains the words "League 1".
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Linkboy13 added 15:36 - Apr 18 Feel for the lad but he looks so fragile so it was likely to happen. Let's hope he fairs better in the championship.
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Leejames99 added 15:46 - Apr 18 Whatever, start the abuse, I'm fed up making excuses and being downmarket, it's embarrassing that fanscon here have treated are new signings so badly and unwelcomed them and expected us to do well with players signed for peanuts in lower leagues who were all rejected by prem clubs. It's just ridiculous that people absolutely worship the likes of Davis and Mckenna and see them as doing no wrong. If it wasn't for Muric saves in first half season and Delap goals we would be way lower than Southampton and relegated by now, we had couple wing in what were to us just like cup games. Find on here will not have it that we are a joke playing half a team of league 1 and 2 players in the Premier League against world Cup winners, multi million pound players and we got Sam Morsy trying to dictate midfield against, Rice, Mcallister, Fernando's the list is endless and Davis huffing and puffing on left wing putting whole team out of whack. We are quite rightly relegated because our squad is nowhere near prem quality, our bench is ridiculous. Every season ticket holder had to watch loss after loss, Mckenna should buy everyone's out of his 6 mill a year wages. If he does not ship out the Chaplins and the Hirsts and Burns and Morsys we will be doing a Luton, if people think we get back to Ptem with them then it's a joke, it was a fluke last year and had we only ended in play offs we would be mid table Championship now, the form of Omari and Sarrimento class got us promoted and Keiffer Moores help. We haven't played one single game with same team because the tinkerman has to fit 2 or 3 his faves in. How he has not been sacked I do not know, he is to sentimental and can't make big choices. He isn't doing us any favours by staying, why wouldn't he 6 mill a year. Spent millions and left them all on bench, signed Ben Godfrey and dropped him an actual right back. He couldn't even rally the team to get wins vs Southampton or Wolves. It's like having Doctor Who as the manager stick in a time warp. We have wrapped that team and Mckenna in cotton wool, IpswichbTown is a football club and a business at the end of the day. He should of gone in international break, but we relying on him to create his vision. Unless he goes with his band of brothers and a thankyou for the good times we are only heading backwards, there is no way we will compete in Championship unless things are changed and quickly. If fans happy to pay for their season ticket and see us get thrashed by superstars fine, if you want to wave at Chappers and Burnsy like you know them fine but if you don't embrace the club evolving and welcome and support new signings the next chapter then we will be a nice shop window for talent and mediocre for years to come. That's my opinion on the club I've supported all my life, I'm a realist, we have Bern all but relegated and that's because the team picked, signings made and not being used and Mckenna making bad choices. And no he isn't still learning he been in Prem under 3 managers who all got sacked for poor results and who was first team coach, he was! No need for abuse please respect my opinion

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BlueNomad added 16:13 - Apr 18 Lee James I won’t give you personal abuse but neither do I respect your opinions. Once I deciphered what you were saying I decided it is absolute rubbish. Yes, we have underperformed on occasion (not for lack of trying) and no doubt players and management have made mistakes. That is all part of the learning process and as a club we are still way ahead of where Gamechanger expected us to be by now. Supporting Town must cause you severe mental health problems so why don’t you just enjoy Liverpool on the to. Finally, you deride players who came from L1 and 2 clubs. Ian Wright played for Dulwich Hamlet until he was 23. He was quite good in the PL………..

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BlueNomad added 16:16 - Apr 18 The above should have read “Liverpool on the tv”
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Leejames99 added 16:34 - Apr 18 @bluenomad That's your opinion, these players are too old to be learning as you put it, learning what exactly? You get promoted and you get the money to strengthen. Surely Mckenna as too tactician would train the team to shut shop when in lead. My mental health is fine thankyou, I'm just fed up of fans wrapping Mckenna and peanut signings in cotton wool yes they have done great, yes they are part of club history for promotions but they are also now part of relegation team with unwanted stats like the least home wins in a season. Fans seem to think we should get rid of that Phillogene, Clarke, Muric as we have our achappers, Burns, Walts, I've never known a manager to keep jib in such a dire season. We maybe ahead of this schedule but however we got there, we got there, what difference does another season or 2 in Championshio do? Nothing. We have the Prem stadium, Prem trying ground, international and Prem quality assets, we now need a few older Prem players and a Prem manager who will get some fight in the team and have no problem dropping players. All this ahead of schedule nonsense and fine margins, I'd say 150 mill for a learning experience is pretty poor management especially when he never plays new signings, has nobody wondered why we have so many injuries too. I have no problem being relegated and we do have the infrastructure to return if the short summer break is dealt with correctly. I won't be amused at start of season and team has Davis, Hirst, Walton, Morsy, Burns, Chaplin, Taylor etc all stick picking up pay checks, that will show complete lack of ambition when we were doing so well.

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chepstowblue added 16:41 - Apr 18 Sad for him. Hopefully fit for the start of next season. However, it's got to be said, that other than for his tap in at Old Trafford I don't recall him touching the ball this season!! I really don't know his strengths or what he does !!
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dugoutdave added 16:58 - Apr 18 Leejames99. I admire you ability to write such long posts, and yet say nothing meaningful. Toddle along and be a good boy. no-one really cares.
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Leejames99 added 17:05 - Apr 18 @dugoutdave Alright Dave! I dont really care its a tiny minority on here, if your in the dugoutdave could you not of told Mckenna to dig deeper and dug out results at home.
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trevski_s added 17:34 - Apr 18 Love him or hate him, I wouldn't wish this type of injury on anyone especially someone so early on in their career and hopefully it is an injury he can fully recover from. Given our position and how late in the season I would say just let him recover and rest and then go again with him in pre-season. Side question is the right wing position cursed or something? Ogbene, Burns and now Jaden?

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Bert added 17:47 - Apr 18 Philogene has had bit part appearances since he came to the club and rarely has he played in what looks to be his best position. Ridiculous to judge him so soon. As for Lee James, I welcomed him as a new poster this year talking sense but my tip to him is less is best. Agree no room on here for personal abuse.
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FromIpswichToPhoenix added 17:48 - Apr 18 LeeJames is calling for McKenna to get sacked? Now I've seen it all.
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RobsonWark added 18:01 - Apr 18 @LeeJames will you ever stop going on about your lover Muric. He is a sh1te keeper and should never ever play for us again. If it wasn't for all his goals he gave away this season we would have stayed up. Match fixing springs to mind whenever Muric plays.
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RegencyBlue added 18:08 - Apr 18 Bad luck for the lad. Can’t be written off yet, only arrived at the end of January and gets put into a team which by that stage was struggling for long periods. My one concern is that like several of our squad he seems very light weight and easily knocked off the ball.
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flykickingbybgunn added 18:12 - Apr 18 Not a time to risk forcing players back who are not ready. Time to give the fringe a go. Get experience. Get them fit for August. Youngsters too. Give them a go. We have to be ready for next season and hit the ground running.
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flykickingbybgunn added 18:20 - Apr 18 Leejames99 are you sure you are on the right forum ? Would the pinkun be more to your choice ? If not then may I suggest you have irrational thoughts which few others find true. Do you perhaps need other help ?
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virginblue added 18:21 - Apr 18 Respect is earned, and you’ve earned nothing Lee James. You’d clearly like to appoint someone like Dyche. Did sacking Martin work out for Southampton, no it didn’t. And Leicester were 15th when they sacked Steve Cooper. When you’re building something you take the rough with the smooth. We may not have won enough games this season, but much to your disgust I’m sure, I’ve still enjoyed many of the games despite that. It’s been good to see where we are. Are we short of the best 17 teams in the country - yes. Are we better than the side that got promoted - also yes. Anyone who thinks it should have been simple to stay up this season is simply deluded. And anyone who does t want Ashton and McKenna at our wonderful club doesn’t not have my respect. Maybe there will come a time when one or both need to move on. But we’re a long way from that. And before you start, I cheer all players. I was behind Muric before his Bournemouth calamity, but surely even you can see that he had to be dropped. I’m very sick that effectively we’ve got Cajuste fit and ready for PL football just in time for him to sign for Brentford in the summer.

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virginblue added 18:23 - Apr 18 And I’ve just seen you’ve said that Hirst shouldn’t be at the club next season. Comedy gold as ever.
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KMcBlue added 19:18 - Apr 18 Relief
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Leejames99 added 19:21 - Apr 18 @stillvirginblue bles you, no I do not think Hirst should be at Town personally, he is okay Championship, excellent in League 1 not a Premier League striker, is goal record for a striker is awful, he surprises himself when he scores, be a great signing for Sheff Wed, Reading, Derby. Or a Scottish club, if you would be happy with George Hirst as our striker or sub striker come August then just remember time in Pren because we won't be back with his 7 goals

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Leejames99 added 19:31 - Apr 18 Ashton and the owners are great, but Mckenna won't have the time in Championship he had this season that was a freebie for his success, if by Christnas we are mid table he be gone, will that be too late yes, will he keep all his league 1 pals of course he will, because he lives in this fantasy land of a journey, he definately signed with Championship in mind and I'm all for that the problem is he has proven the last few months that he doesn't have the backbone to drip players like Davis, refuses to change formation, even I said to try 2 up top. Proof will be in the next coming months, we have signed the very top players from Championship who now have Prem experience, he will have some money to spend and is in a far better position than he was when last in Championship so this will be his defining season, there should be no fine margins, no doubts about that, we should romp that league but right now I don't think he will because he won't sell anyone he signed in league 1, what team have the same squad when progressing. Its football not family. Cajuste should be his priority

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