Football League World
·14 March 2024
Football League World
·14 March 2024
Ipswich Town will see Kieffer Moore, Nathan Broadhead and Wes Burns depart for international duty later this month as the trio look to help Wales reach their third consecutive European Championship.
Whilst this is good news for the players involved, and speaks volumes of how well Ipswich are doing, you can't blame Ipswich supporters if they felt a little bit nervous upon hearing that three key players will be out playing in potentially two huge games for their country instead of getting the chance to rest.
No one can begrudge the players the chance to represent their county in important games, and one of the reasons Moore left Bournemouth on loan was to be match fit for these big Wales games, but Kieran McKenna and the Ipswich faithful will be watching on nervously come the 21st March.
Despite a heartbreaking late defeat to Cardiff City last time out, Ipswich are still in the automatic promotion mix and will need their Welsh international trio to return fit as they look to make one final push for Premier League promotion.
After the international break, The Tractor Boys have eight games remaining to break back into the top two and make it back-to-back promotions, and having a fully-fit Moore available will be crucial to their promotion bid.
As a former Northern Irish youth international himself, McKenna will be fully aware of what it means to represent his country, and he'll wish his players all the best, despite probably secretly hoping that they didn't have to go away on international duty this month.
With two weeks without a league fixture after Saturday, the players could have had some time away to rest and recuperate before having a full week or so to prepare for their game against Blackburn Rovers after the international break.
However, the Welsh trio will face a play-off semi-final against Finland on Thursday 21st March, before a potential final against either Poland or Estonia on the 26th March.
These will be tough games, and there's the risk of fatigue and burnout for the Ipswich trio amid a hectic schedule.
The one saving grace for McKenna is that Wales will be home for both play-off fixtures, so at least his players won't have to travel across Europe, only adding to potential fatigue. Additionally, promotion rivals, Leeds United, will be watching on with Connor Roberts, Joe Rodon, Ethan Ampadu and Daniel James all regulars with Wales.
Moore joined the club on loan from Bournemouth on deadline day and has proved a great addition to the Ipswich squad, helping them to stop the rot and move back into contention for automatic promotion.
In his nine appearances for the club, he has scored six goals, and registered one assist, showing just how valuable he is to McKenna.
Winger Broadhead has also had a great season, scoring 11 times and registering three assists in his 31 league appearances for the Tractor Boys this season.
Ipswich's Welsh trio are clearly key to McKenna's plans as Burns has also played 31 times this season, scoring five goals and registering two assists in the process.
Losing three key players to international duty is far from ideal for McKenna, but it speaks volumes of how well Ipswich are doing that a number of players are being called-up from the club.
McKenna, his coaching staff and the near 30,000 people that go to Portman Road to watch the Tractor Boys will be praying that their players come through international duty unscathed as they bid to keep their Premier League dream alive.