Ipswich Town boss Kieran McKenna has revealed he has some fitness issues through some areas of his squad - naming Kalvin Phillips and Ben Johnson - ahead of travelling to Wolverhampton for a key clash at the wrong end of the Premier League table.
The Blues boss has not named out-of-favour England international Phillips, who is on loan from Manchester City, in his starting line-up since he picked up a one-game suspension for two yellow cards in the 1-1 home draw with Leicester City on November 2.
Following the suspension being served in the Suffolk side’s breakthrough 2-1 victory at Tottenham Hotspur, the player who turned 29 earlier this month was ruled out of the next with an ankle injury.
Kalvin Phillips, in action against Fulham, is said to have not fully recovered his fitness from injury, along with Ben Johnson, ahead of the trip to Wolverhampton Wanderers Picture: Barry Goodwin
Phillips was deemed fit enough to be included on the bench for the recent home defeats to Crystal Palace (1-0) and AFC Bournemouth (2-1) but was tellingly an unused substitute in both.
And McKenna has revealed that he is still not fully fit, along with Johnson (thigh), and despite the latter starting on Sunday against The Cherries.
Asked at this afternoon’s pre-Wolverhampton Wanderers press conference if he had any fresh injury or illness issues after that Bournemouth game, he replied: “No, nothing very, very significant. We've still got a few managing injuries, Kalvin and Ben being two - they’re still sort of in between being injured and being back to 100 per cent.
Ben Johnson (left) played the full 90 minutes in Sunday’s home match with AFC Bournemouth following a thigh injury but is said to still not be fully fit Picture: Barry Goodwin
“We've got our long-term injuries and we have one or two illnesses in the camp which there seems to be quite a lot of it in the country at the moment; up and down the country there's probably squads who've got one or two who are not feeling 100 per cent and we're certainly in that situation.”
Right-back Johnson started against Bournemouth last weekend having sat out the previous three with a thigh problem.
Axel Tuanzebe (hamstring), Chiedozie Ogbene (Achilles) and George Hirst (knee) remain on Town’s long-term absentees list.
The Suffolk side sit one place above Wolves in 18th in the table courtesy of a one better goal difference ahead of the two meeting at Molineux. But neither side will be able to end the weekend outside the relegation zone with 17th-placed Crystal Palace, who drew 2-2 at home to Man City last weekend, four points better off on 13 after 15 matches.