Kieran McKenna reveals some Ipswich Town players will undergo late assessments as Sam Morsy faces one-match ban

Kieran McKenna revealed that some players will face late assessments ahead of tomorrow’s visit of QPR in the Sky Bet Championship (7.45pm).

Alongside the hamstring injury to George Hirst, the Town manager stated that unnamed players picked up knocks and niggles after two games in three days against Leeds United and Leicester City.

“We have a couple (of players) getting scans today and we’ll have to make some late assessments tomorrow. Obviously, respectfully, it’s the period of games where we don’t want to give away too much team news to anyone,” said McKenna.

“It’s normal when you have Leeds and Leicester in the space of three days that there’s going to be some niggles and knocks in the group and we’re going to assess them right through to tomorrow afternoon.”

As well as injuries, McKenna will be without skipper Sam Morsy, whose strike helped Town equalise in injury time on Boxing Day, tomorrow after it was revealed that he will face a one-match ban for a breach of FA Rule E3.1, following the 2-0 win away against Middlesbrough earlier this month.

“It’s not a process that I’ve been involved in much to be honest. It’s been between the FA and the club. Sammy (Morsy) had a hearing yesterday and we’re disappointed to lose him for the game,” said McKenna.

“But it is what it is. We’ll prepare as well as we can and the players we’ve got on the pitch will the ready.”

Reports have also suggested that the club captain at Portman Road has made himself unavailable to represent Egypt at AFCON next month.

In response to this, McKenna said: “I’ve not had any confirmation on that from Sam or the Egyptian FA or from anyone to that regard. As it stands the squad’s not announced until December 30 so until that point there’s nothing that I can really confirm on that.”

As the non-stop-festive fixtures tick over, QPR are the next visitors to Portman Road tomorrow.

Town were victorious in the reverse game at Loftus Road, back in August, but the London outfit have a different man in the dugout this time around.

Marti Cifuentes took over from Gareth Ainsworth in November and has recorded just three wins in his 10 games in charge, with the Hoops currently on a run of three straight defeats.

“They have some really talented players and some real individual threats and qualities at the top end of the pitch. They’ve got a really experienced Championship squad with good Championship pedigree across almost every position,” said McKenna.

“I think it’s clear that their identity and style of play now has changed considerably over the last few months.

“They’ve bought in a manager who’s gone into a different direction and they’re structure on and off the ball, the principles that they play to and their identity that their trying to build as a team is different.

“They’ve climbed up the positions and they make for a tough opponent.”