Kieran McKenna may turn to his new recruits ahead of a busy period of fixtures.
Omari Hutchinson could be set to make his full league debut for Ipswich Town this weekend with injury concerns plaguing the attacking quartet.
Kieran McKenna’s side are flying high in the Championship with momentum from last campaign skyrocketing them up to the top end of the Championship prior to the international break.
The Tractor Boys kick-started the campaign with three consecutive league victories – along with a 2-0 EFL Cup win over Bristol Rovers – beating the likes of Sunderland, Stoke City and Queens Park Rangers to validate pre-season promotion shouts.
While still a long road ahead, a first defeat of the season at the hands of Leeds United, falling to a 4-3 loss, Ipswich have not been deterred and bounced back in familiar fashion with another high-scoring affair, coming out on top in a 3-2 win against Cardiff City.
Sitting in second place after five league outings, the Suffolk-based outfit boasts the second-best goalscoring return in the division with their devastating attacking quartet having no trouble with the step-up in quality.
Injury doubts, however, do point to a potential shift to the frontline with a certain Chelsea youngster looking to stake his claim.
Who is Omari Hutchinson?
A product of the Arsenal academy, Hutchinson returned to West London in 2022 after being released by the Lions twice as a child.
The 19-year-old made his professional debut in the same season in a Premier League outing against Manchester City back in January.
Despite a lack of first-team opportunities, the attacking playmaker has continued to thrive at youth level, recording 13 goals and 12 assists in the past two seasons at Premier League 2 level for both Arsenal and Chelsea.
Now on his first senior loan, the Jamaican international has made seven appearances for the Tractor Boys so far this campaign, including EFL Cup starts against Bristol Rovers and Reading.
The versatile attacking midfielder, who can play across the attacking quartet behind the striker, has demonstrated his silky dribbling and desire to beat his man, while producing quality moments in the final third, whether it be a killer final pass or clinically putting the chance away himself.
Showing flashes of such quality in an Ipswich shirt, Hutchinson needs time to express himself consistently – and may just get to do so in the near future.
Why is this a good time for Hutchinson to start?
Injury concerns of varying severity have presented Kieran McKenna with a selection headache ahead of the trip to Yorkshire to face Sheffield Wednesday.
George Hirst could feature despite suffering an injury in the first-half against Cardiff City, while trio Christian Walton, Janoi Donacien and Axel Tuanzebe are not available.
While on international duty, Wes Burns apparently had a minor hamstring injury. The Welsh winger is reportedly recovering well, and he is anticipated to resume training this week.
Hutchinson, who replaced Burns last time, is among the many choices, so McKenna might decide to rest one of his important players ahead of a full schedule of games rather than take a chance on him.
The Tractor Boys still have five outings left to come this month, with Southampton, Blackburn Rovers, Wolves and Huddersfield Town concluding a congested September.
As a result, while positive to see Burns’ injury has led to no major cause for concern, a precautionary measure in this case may be the best approach for the former Manchester United coach to deploy and give the likes of Hutchinson a chance to get a full 90 minutes under their belt.
With the whole wealth of his squad required for the many months ahead, a balance of minutes will be crucial to maintain their early-season form.
What has McKenna said about Hutchinson’s game time?
McKenna, meanwhile, has suggested there could be some rotation in the coming weeks to make the most of what is at his disposal.
Seven summer signings have boosted Ipswich’s options across multiple positions, while the starting eleven has remained relatively unchanged up until this point.
Aiming to keep the squad fit and firing on the pitch as well as managing morale, the Ipswich manager has hinted at his short-term future for the squad, spelling positive signs for Omari Hutchinson.
In an interview with the East Anglian Daily Times, he stated: “We started this season with one league game every week, which was normal with the form we had. We concluded the league campaign with a wonderfully settled team. The squad has generally started strong, and we’ve maintained a high level of team cohesion.
“There are now several midweek games as we enter a new phase. It will be a moment when we aim to harness the strength and depth of our squad as well as the fact that we have players with a variety of skills who might be an advantage against various opponents.
“We’ve been in this situation before. It’s easy to forget the first half of last season when we managed to utilise the depth our squad and rotate according to different game plans. I think we picked up 50 points across the first half of the campaign doing that.”
