The international break has finally ended, and Ipswich Town are back in Premier League action this afternoon with an exciting match against Manchester United.
However, it’s not just any old game against the Red Devils; it’s their first with new boss Ruben Amorim in charge, meaning it’s Kieran McKenna who’s got the most experience in the competition for once.
Now, there is a chance that United’s new manager bounce could cause the Tractor Boys some issues, but they also might be catching the team before they’ve learned what their new manager wants them to do.
Whatever it is, one thing we can be sure of is that Ipswich have at least one exceptionally exciting player who’d be the perfect addition to Amorim’s team, and McKenna simply has to start him.
Ipswich Town team news
Before we get to the player in question, what’s the latest news on the squad heading into this afternoon’s game?
Well, in his pre-match press conference earlier this week, McKenna confirmed that George Hirst will be out of contention for some time due to the injury he sustained against Tottenham Hotspur a couple of weeks ago.
The news was a little less dower for the likes of Jacob Greaves, Jack Taylor, Kalvin Phillips and Ben Johnson, as the Northern Irishman told the press that it would be “touch and go” for them to be fit enough for the game.
He also touched on the importance of the crowd for encounters like this, saying that the “players can’t do this one by themselves” and that having “30,000 behind us and pushing us is a big, big help.”
Given what we’ve seen so far this season, we can’t imagine the Portman Road faithful needing much encouragement to make their voices heard.
That said, McKenna can ensure they have something to cheer about by starting one of his most exciting players, someone who Amorim would surely love at United.
The Ipswich star who’d be perfect for Amorim
So, while many of you might be thinking of Liam Delap at the moment, and understandably so, it’s not him, but Leif Davis instead.
Yes, the former Leeds United ace is the Ipswich star who’d be perfect for Amorim, and that’s down to two things.
The first is the Englishman’s sheer talent, which also happens to be the reason he could terrorise United this afternoon.
Over the last few seasons, the 24-year-old full-back has become an attacking “animal”, as dubbed by former manager Scott Parker, racking up a frankly absurd six goals and 37 assists for the Tractor Boys in just 101 games.
That means the £25k-per-week star has maintained an average of a goal involvement every 2.34 games, despite going from League One to the Premier League and being a defender, which is also the second reason he’d be a dream signing for the United manager.
Davis’ Ipswich career | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Season | 22/23 | 23/24 | 24/25 |
Appearances | 46 | 44 | 11 |
Goals | 3 | 2 | 1 |
Assists | 14 | 21 | 2 |
Goal Involvements per Match | 0.36 | 0.52 | 0.27 |
The former Sporting CP boss is renowned for playing a 3-4-3 formation and making the most out of wing-backs, which is a position that demands defensive and offensive ability, and as Ipswich fans will surely attest, their 23/24 Men’s Players’ Player of the Year has both in spades.
Ultimately, it will be a challenging game this afternoon, but by playing Davis, McKenna will be giving his side a much better chance of getting something from the game.
However, he might also be putting the incredible full-back in the shop window.
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