Ipswich Town manager Kieran McKenna has piled the praise on £20 million winger Jaden Philogene after a standout performance in a 3-1 friendly win over Aberdeen.
McKenna has overseen a dramatic turnaround at Portman Road since his appointment in December 2021. He took over with the club struggling in League One, but stabilised matters to secure an 11th placed finish. Under his guidance, the Tractor Boys then secured back-to-back promotions to return to the Premier League for the first time since 2002.
Last season was always seen as somewhat of a free hit for the Northern Irishman. Although Ipswich were eventually relegated, they were widely praised for their performances against some of the biggest teams in Europe.
Now preparing for a return to the Championship, they are no longer the underdogs and are expected to challenge for promotion once again.
Philogene Key To Ipswich Success
Philogene joined Ipswich in January from Aston Villa, scoring twice in 10 Premier League outings. Having already starred in the Championship with Hull City during the 2023/24 campaign, he is expected to be a huge player for McKenna this season.
The 23-year-old was hand to bag a brace during yesterday’s friendly victory over Aberdeen, prompting a positive response from McKenna. Via Suffolk News, the manager said:
“Very good tonight. His off the ball work first of all was outstanding. We saw last week, he’s capable of regaining so many balls in the opposition’s half, he has a real skill for it. When he works like that, you’re three quarters of the way to a good performance.
“He’s got some qualities, for sure. We’re looking at him in more of the left wing role at the moment. He can do both sides, we didn’t get a chance to look at him on the left really last year, it’s something we wanted to have a good look at and look at his relationship with Leif (Davis) and Conor (Townsend) down that side, different balances that we can use across the course of the season.”
Continuing, the former Manchester United coach was full of positivity about the options within his squad:
“He’s given us something a little bit different on that side. Jack Clarke can give us something from that side, a Broady (Nathan Broadhead) or a Sammie Szmodics can give us something different on that side, so it’s going to be good to have the different threads.”
Writer’s View
Ipswich have been very clever in their recruitment over the past 12 months. Remaining in the Premier League was always going to be an uphill task, but McKenna has put together a squad that is likely to take some stopping in the Championship. He brought in players that are here for the long term and although there will be some exits, the main core will remain. Jaden Philogene will be a key part of what comes next.
