Town midfielder Dan Neil says his future will be decided over the summer following the end of his loan spell at Portman Road.

Neil joined on loan from Sunderland, but his contract at the Stadium of Light is set to expire at the end of the season, with the Black Cats already confirming his departure.

The January arrival insists his only focus right now is on helping the Blues achieve promotion to the Premier League, and any talk about his future can be put on hold.

Asked whether the agreement was made to keep his options open, Neil said: “I think it suited both me and the club, the way the deal’s structured. With the deal, there’s one goal of mine and it’s to get promoted, and we’ll see what happens after that.

“Hopefully we do get that promotion and finish top two, hopefully it’s an option and we’ll see where it goes in the summer.

“My biggest thing was to go somewhere I was going to play football because I really missed it over that six-month period from pre-season to January.

“I almost lost my purpose a little bit, because as a footballer, you train Monday to Friday for that game on a Saturday. To give your all and get three points for whatever team you’re playing for, and I really missed that feeling.

The big thing for me was to go somewhere, play football, enjoy it again and enjoy that weekly preparation for that purpose on a Saturday. The one goal in mind at the minute is to help get Ipswich promoted.

“Whatever happens in the summer happens in the summer, but for now I’m totally focused on finishing the season well.”

Neil arrived with plenty of Championship experience after captaining Sunderland to promotion last season thanks to a dramatic last-minute winner in the play-off final against Sheffield United at Wembley.

The 24-year-old sees comparisons with that squad and Town’s current group of players, which includes a familiar face in the form of winger Jack Clarke.

Neil said: “I texted him, maybe when they beat Coventry away, and I was just asking him general things about that club and then I just went quiet on him.

“He’d seen something on social media about a medical and he said ‘why didn’t you text me?’. I just didn’t want to jinx it and wanted to make sure I got it over the line before I said anything. I played with Clarkey for a lot of years and I'm good pals with him, so he’s helped me bed in.

“It’s a very similar feel to my Sunderland squad in the Championship, very similar characters and personalities so I’ve been able to slot in quite well. I’ve played against a lot of the lads in the past and I obviously know Jack, so he’s embedded me really well. I’m just enjoying it.

“I don’t think I’d played with anybody else. I’ve played against them all a million times and Clarkey’s really close with Greavesy [Jacob Greaves], so I’ve become quite good friends with him.

“The whole squad have got good characters and personalities and they’ve embedded me into it seamlessly.”

Leif Davis is the other member of the squad to hail from the north-east of England, although his allegiances with Sunderland’s fierce rivals Newcastle United are often a source of banter.

“Every now and again, it’s not every single day I'm battering him for being a Geordie or anything,” Neil joked. “I knew of Leif, but I didn’t know him personally.

“He’s probably 20 minutes to half an hour away from me in the north-east. He was at Morecambe and Leeds, so he was never around the north-east. I played against him in the 21s for Leeds and I’ve played against him a lot here and I knew he was from up north.

“As soon as I came in, he was one of the first to welcome me in, show me round, introduce me to the lads and get me into that core group. He’s been brilliant with me so far.”

Away from football, there is one popular hobby that ranks above all else.

Neil said: “Golf. There’s a few golfers in the team. I’m no Tiger Woods, but I do like to go out and have a knock about. Me, Jack, Jacob Greaves, Conor Townsend, there’s loads of us that have a decent group that like to play golf. That’s probably my biggest hobby outside of football.”

Asked who the best is, he replied: “From what I’ve seen so far, Greavesy is probably up there and Conor Townsend.”

Photo: TWTD