Town striker Iván Azón believes Portman Road is the best place for his development and that he is continuing to improve under Blues boss Kieran McKenna.

From limited starts, Azón has scored two goals so far this season after netting a close-range header at Swansea City and rounding off the scoring at home to Coventry City in December.

The forward signed for the Blues in August and received positive reviews from Como head coach Cesc Fàbregas, who admitted he wanted to keep the fellow Spaniard in Italy before he made his straight loan switch to Suffolk.

During the summer, Azón was linked with a move back to his homeland with Valencia and Getafe, but he opted to make his first venture into English football after Town renegotiated the terms of the loan.

Azón, who recently admitted his gratitude towards the Blues supporters, says that decision to work under McKenna is certainly not one he regrets.

“I chose really well and I’m really enjoying it a lot here. I’m really thankful,” he said.

“I spoke with my family and also with the boss about that. I think I’ve really improved in how I feel and how I see football now. In terms of football, I’ve improved a lot. It helps me to play better.

“I’ve improved a lot with him, as well as Sone [Aluko] and Junior [Stanislas], who help the forward unit. It’s really nice to have them and I’ve really improved. I’m really thankful to them.

“I’ve improved a lot in a lot of parts of the game on the pitch. The striker normally is measured because of the goals, but you must do a lot of things apart from the goals and hopefully the goals will come soon.

“That’s the goal, of course. We want to score goals as strikers, we live from there. The first thing is to do the rest of the things well, and then the goals will come.”

For many players moving from continental Europe for the first time, the biggest adjustment is dealing with the hectic schedule that English football is so synonymous with.

Perhaps the Championship is the biggest example of such intensity, and while it is an obvious challenge, it is clearly one that Azón has embraced and sees the benefits of.

He said: “It’s crazy to have a lot of games midweek and on the weekend, it’s incredible. It’s nice also because you have more chances to still win and go on another run, and if you lose or draw, you can win again.

“It is crazy for me, honestly. To play midweek and weekend is stressful but it’s also nice, because you have another game really soon. It’s different but I think I’ve adapted really well.

“Honestly, I thought it was going to be harder but I can understand it can’t be really hard because you have a game every two or three days.

“It’s really nice, that’s where you improve and you will see on the pitch.”

There is plenty of competition for minutes up front, with Azón spending the majority of the season as second-choice behind Scotland international George Hirst.

Regardless of who he is directly competing with, the 23-year-old believes he is a better player than when he first arrived at Town, having continued to build a relationship with his teammates on and off the field.

“It helps me to be better, there’s always rotations,” he said. “I want to give my best always as a starter or from the bench. I’m really happy.

“We’ve improved a lot as a team. You see everyone really close to each other, that’s so nice and you can see it on the pitch.

“It’s chemistry with everyone, how the rest plays and what they prefer to do with a cross or prefer to shoot. You know each other better so it’s nice.”

Photo: Matchday Images