Ipswich Town are heading to Sheffield United with a couple of problems they didn’t really need right now. Jaden Philogene and Marcelino Núñez, two players who’ve been right in the middle of everything good lately, are both looking doubtful. It’s not the end of the world, but it’s definitely one of those weeks where you […]
Ipswich Town are heading to Sheffield United with a couple of problems they didn’t really need right now. Jaden Philogene and Marcelino Núñez, two players who’ve been right in the middle of everything good lately, are both looking doubtful. It’s not the end of the world, but it’s definitely one of those weeks where you feel the squad being stretched a bit.
McKenna spoke about it in that straight, matter‑of‑fact way he has. No drama, just the truth. On Philogene, he said:
“He’s had a scan today. It’s thankfully not a long‑term injury… It will be a day‑by‑day assessment. I would have thought Saturday would be a challenge.”
Philogene’s been the one who scares defenders before he’s even touched the ball. Losing that away from home is annoying. But there is a natural replacement. Jack Clarke can come in and keep the shape roughly the same. He’s not Philogene, hardly anyone is, but he’ll run, he’ll carry the ball, he’ll give you width. It keeps the system intact, which is half the battle.
The thing with Núñez is that it didn’t look like much at first. He wasn’t rolling around or anything, just that tiny shift in how he moved, like he didn’t trust the ankle. You know when a player gives that half‑glance to the bench? That was it. Quiet, but you could tell. The sort of moment you only notice properly when you replay it in your head later.
Mckenna said: “He’s felt something in his ankle. I’m not sure whether it was a twist…”
And that was basically the whole story. No timeline, no “we’ll see,” nothing to hang onto. Just a manager being straight because there’s no point pretending.
It’s a different kind of problem for Philogene. Núñez doesn’t do the flashy bits; he’s the one who keeps the whole thing ticking without anyone really noticing until he’s not there. When he came off against Bristol City, the game didn’t fall apart, but it definitely lost that little hum it had. You could feel it, even if you couldn’t point to one moment.
If he’s out and it feels like he is, then it’s Sammie Szmodics who fills the gap. Completely different player. He doesn’t settle a game; he rattles it. Runs everywhere, presses everything, turns up in places defenders don’t expect. You lose the calm, but you gain a bit of bite. And honestly, going to Sheffield United, bite might be worth more than calm anyway.
The Jaden Philogene situation has been hanging over the week in that annoying, uncertain way injuries sometimes do. You could see it in the Blackburn game. He tried didnt even get back on the pitch after being taken off for Treatment on look to the bench from the physios, then his game was done, no risks to be taken.
Everyone’s been waiting for a bit of clarity, but the truth is it’s one of those injuries where you don’t get a straight answer. He’s not out for months, but he’s not exactly close either. And when a player relies on sharpness the way he does, even a small issue feels bigger.
It’s a blow because Philogene changes the whole temperature of a match. Defenders don’t like facing him; you can see it in the way they back off before he’s even touched the ball. He’s been the one stretching teams, giving Ipswich that bit of unpredictability on the left. Losing that for a trip like Sheffield United isn’t ideal, not at all.
Jack Clarke is the perfect replacement for Philogene, not because he copies what Philogene does, but because he gives the team the same kind of honesty and width that keeps the whole left side functioning.
This is the sort of week that tests a squad more than anyone admits. Two important players drop out, not for months but long enough to make you shuffle things, and suddenly everyone’s looking around to see who fills what gap. It’s not panic, just that little shift in the room where people realise they’ve got to stretch themselves a bit.
The thing with this Ipswich side is they don’t really rely on one or two players to hold the whole thing together. The patterns stay the same. The roles stay the same. Nobody has to reinvent themselves just because someone else is missing. It’s more like everyone nudges up a gear without making a big announcement about it.
You can feel that in the way the replacements slot in. Clarke gives you the width. Szmodics gives you the running. The rest of the team adjusts around them without losing the overall shape. It’s not perfect, but it doesn’t need to be. It just needs to function well enough that the whole thing doesn’t wobble.
And that’s the point, really, it’s a test, not a crisis.
The kind of spell every team gets at some stage, where you find out if the structure is real or just something that looks good when everyone’s fit.
