Kieran McKenna's patience could be about to pay off for Ipswich Town: View | OneFootball

Ipswich Town look set for a very successful Championship season after becoming one of the strongest sides in the division.

The Tractor Boys were only promoted to the second tier at the end of last season, but they have adjusted to the new league with no problems at all.

In fact, they have gone from being one of the strongest teams in League One to one of the strongest in the Championship in the space of a few months.

They have done this with the nucleus of the squad that got them promoted to the Championship, with only a few additions made in the summer to improve the squad.

One of those players to come in was defender Axel Tuanzebe, and it seems the patience Kieran McKenna has had is about to pay off for the club.

Who is Axel Tuanzebe?

Tuanzebe will be known by the Manchester United fanbase, as the defender joined the club in 2005 and came through their various academy groups.

The defender captained the club’s under-18s and under-23s, and his performances in the academy got the attention of Man United’s first team coaches from an early age.

However, injuries and fierce competition meant he was never a regular in the side, but he did appear a lot in matchday squads and gained appearances from the bench.

The 26-year-old had some impressive loan spells, with them coming at Aston Villa in two separate seasons.

While he also had some disappointing ones, Napoli and Stoke City were the most recent and the most forgettable ones. So, when Man United decided to release Tuanzebe in the summer, it was unclear what his next move would be, but after a long period without a club, it was announced that Ipswich were willing to sign the 26-year-old on a one-year deal.

Why could Kieran McKenna’s patience with Axel Tuanzebe be about to pay off for Ipswich Town?

The Tractor Boys have had to remain patient with the defender as he’s tried to get up to match sharpness, but that patience may be about to pay off, especially after his recent display against Millwall.

Since joining Ipswich, Tuanzebe has made four appearances for the club in all competitions, with one of those coming in the EFL Cup game against Fulham.

He made his Championship debut for the club in the game against Birmingham City and then followed that up with a 90-minute performance against Rotherham United.

But given his recent injury record, McKenna decided to utilise his squad, and he took Tuanzebe out of the team for the clashes against Swansea City and West Brom.

But after defeat against the Baggies, Tuanzebe was restored to the starting XI for the Millwall game last week, and he was very impressive.

He impressed defensively, as he made two clearances in 90 minutes as well as two interceptions, as per SofaScore.com.

He also won one of his two aerial duels in the game, while he only lost possession eight times. Furthermore, he had 105 touches on the ball and completed 92 of his 100 passes in the game, with one being a key pass. He got an overall SofaScore.com match rating of 7.0 for that game, his best this season.

The 26-year-old was very impressive, but speaking ahead of their game against Coventry City, McKenna revealed that he is likely going to have to continue being patient with the player as he gets up to match sharpness. So, it wasn’t a surprise to see him miss out in the game against the Sky Blues, but that shouldn’t stop the club from being excited about what Tuanzebe can do for them.

The defender has impressed at this level before, and McKenna will know a fully fit Tuanzebe will make them even stronger at the back. So, if he can keep managing him, he will likely get the best out of the player, and therefore, Ipswich will reap the rewards.

His performance against Millwall showed what he can do at this level, and with this patience, Ipswich could be about to see a lot more of these displays from Tuanzebe as the season goes on.