Town boss Kieran McKenna believes he has plenty of options for the number 10 role having lost Sammie Szmodics due to a knee injury for a number of weeks and with Chuba Akpom also suffering a knock against West Brom last weekend but expected to be OK for Saturday’s trip to QPR.

Szmodics, who is due back in the block of games after the next international break, limped off in the first half of the 1-0 win against the Baggies and subsequently underwent minor surgery, while his replacement, Akpom, was caught by the underside of a boot in his ankle/shin area and also had to make way.

The on-loan Ajax man, who should be fit for Saturday, was replaced by Marcelino Nunez for the remainder of the game but McKenna has plenty of other options, Jack Clarke, Kasey McAteer and Jack Taylor among the alternatives as the Blues go into a spell of three games in eight days, Watford visiting Portman Road on Tuesday following the game in West London and then the Blues making the trek to Swansea a week on Saturday.

“That’s what you need and that’s what the squad’s been built for,” McKenna said. “We’ve had an incredible run, really, in terms of availability.

“Probably since the first international break, I can hardly think of a player missing a day's training, which is the way you would rather have it, but then your numbers are a little bit bigger. 

“This week, they’ve been a little bit tighter. Hopefully, we’ll have some of the boys who have missed training back for the weekend, but it’s been a little bit tighter. 

“But that’s why we’ve built a squad with good depth. And I think we’re certainly going to need it over the next week.

“We’re certainly going to need it when we come back from the international break when there are seven games in 21 days. Everyone’s going to have to be ready to play the part and step up when needed.”

Taylor came into the midfield for his first start since August against West Brom and was one of the Blues’ standout performers.

“He did really well,” McKenna added. “We were delighted for him and with him, and it’s exactly what we're going to need. 

“He's someone we played a fair bit at the start of the season and then, as others have come in and been in good form for the most part, he’s not had as many minutes.

“But he was committed to staying to be part of the group anyway, which is why he signed a new contract and why the club wanted to do the same because we felt like he was going to be an important part of the group and have a role to play.

“And he stepped into the team really well last week and showed that that’s the type of thing that we're going to need at different times. 

“He’s a really good player, he’s rarely let us down, he can step in with some really big performances and I know he wants to push on now and find a really consistent level.

“But, for me as a manager, it’s just good to have those options, we’re going to need him and he set a really good example to the group last weekend.”

Photo: TWTD

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