Team news, injury updates vs Brighton as McKenna talks Burns and Hirst

Wes Burns and George Hirst’s prospects of featuring for Ipswich Town at Brighton & Hove Albion are “not impossible”, Tractor Boys manager Kieran McKenna has said.

Winger Burns has not played since limping off in Town’s opening defeat at home to Liverpool on August 17, while striker Hirst has been absent with a knee injury he sustained against Fortuna Dusseldorf during pre-season.

“They’ve trained with the group pretty much all week and are both ahead of schedule, really,” said McKenna. “Both are feeling really good.

“We’ll make the right judgement – not just for this weekend – and won’t take any unnecessary risks. But both, as it stands [on Thursday], are available to be involved with the squad.”

Working hard ahead of #BHAIPS on Saturday. ✊ pic.twitter.com/J58MraCFub

— IPSWICH TOWN (@IpswichTown) September 11, 2024

Ipswich vs Brighton

As McKenna prepares to take on opponents who were strongly linked with a move for his coaching services during the summer, the reigning LMA Manager of the Year also had a positive update on Omari Hutchinson following the attacker’s withdrawal from England Under-21 duty.

“He had a tight hamstring after the Fulham game [on August 31] and didn’t recover for six or seven days after that,” explained the Northern Irishman.

“But in the latter stages of this week he’s felt better and he’s fully trained the last couple of days. Again, he’ll be available. We’ve got a full group available; all the boys have come back from the international [break] well.”

Ipswich squad: ‘Good core’

Burns and Christian Walton – a former Brighton goalkeeper – signed new two-year contracts this week, keeping them at Portman Road until 2026.

McKenna called the extensions “very important”. “We’re very happy to have those two players in addition to players [who signed] earlier on,” he added.

🚜📝 Current Ipswich Town winger and future Puskas award winner Wes Burns has signed a new two-year deal with the Tractor Boys.

Any excuse to watch it again…#ITFC | @BlueMondayITFC pic.twitter.com/6zL3iU93Yv

— The Sportsman (@TheSportsman) September 9, 2024

“A few more conversations are ongoing with some of our players, in terms of receiving and committing to new contracts.

“It fits in with where we want to build and develop the squad but in a way where we keep a good core of players, who have been an important part of the journey”.

Promoted last season, Ipswich are seeking another encouraging result against the Seagulls on Saturday (3pm BST), having earned their first point of the campaign with a 1-1 draw at Craven Cottage.