Town manager Kieran McKenna says Harry Clarke was really keen to move out on loan to Charlton Athletic on Monday after a frustrating injury hit spell.

Clarke, 24, impressed in pre-season but suffered a knee injury close to the end of July which ruled him out for around two months.

The one-time Town and Arsenal academy youngster was then unable to break into the Blues squad, not even featuring on the bench.

TWTD revealed last Saturday that the Addicks were in talks with the Brantham-based right-back with the move confirmed on Monday.

“It was something Harry was really keen on,” McKenna said. “He was really unlucky this summer.

“And really I think you could probably put 2025 together because he played a bit for us at the start of the first half of the Premier League season and then he wanted to go out in the second half of that season and get regular starts, and went to Sheffield United, started pretty well but then had a season-ending injury.
 
“Came back in pre-season, we were really keen to see him in pre-season and for him to have a good run at it in pre-season and he started pre-season well.

“And then he got another injury that ruled him out past pre-season, the start of the season, ruled him out of going on loan because he wasn’t fit until maybe mid-late September or something like that. 
 
“So that’s a tricky spell. Over the last couple of months, he’s been training well, he’s been part of the group, has had no issues whatsoever, has trained every day and has been available and ready to help the team.
 
“But, as I’ve said quite a few times, we’ve had quite a lot of options in that position, we’ve had no injuries, I don’t think any of the right-backs or full-backs have hardly missed a day, so he’s not been able to get the minutes that he would have wanted.
 
“So, he wanted to go out this window and try and get the opportunity to play more regularly.

“Charlton were there, he wanted to do it and it gives him the chance now to, hopefully, get a run of games under his belt that he hasn’t had for quite a while, get some, not form because he hasn’t been in bad form, he just hasn’t played.

“So hopefully he gets some rhythm, gets some games, stays fit until the end of the season and he’s someone we think an awful lot of.
 
“As a lad, he’s got a lot of qualities that he brings, as a player he’s got a lot of quality he brings and hopefully he’ll have a good second half of the season, and then we can all reassess it in the summer.”

Clarke, a member of the back-to-back promotion side, is contracted to the Blues until the summer but with the club having an option for a further season.

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