Ipswich Town Manager Kieran McKenna Provides Update on Injuries, Bournemouth Match, and Team’s Competitive Outlook

Kieran McKenna, the manager of Ipswich Town, addressed reporters ahead of Sunday’s Premier League fixture against Bournemouth, scheduled for 14:00 GMT. The following are the principal points from his press briefing: McKenna stated that his squad has sustained no additional injuries following Tuesday’s loss to Crystal Palace. However, midfielder Kalvin Phillips and defender Ben Johnson remain “still not 100%” and might not be available to start in the upcoming match against the Cherries. Regarding midfielder Jens Cajuste, who has commenced the last four matches despite managing a knee issue, McKenna commented: “It would be undue risk to play three 90s in eight days. We’re still building up his fitness, he’s still managing a prior issue and we’re trying to find the careful balance of getting him on the pitch where he’s doing some good things and not pushing him too far.” McKenna emphasized that securing points on Sunday is “very important to get points on Sunday, as it is in any game.” He further stated that it is “Important to put in a good performance after the defeat and performance against Palace.” He also mentioned that Ipswich’s measure of success for what appears to be a challenging December involves “doing our very best,” noting that his team has “shown they can compete with everyone” and intends to “take every game as it comes.” Addressing squad rotation, McKenna remarked: “We made some changes on Tuesday night that were necessary. It’s not going to be the same XI every game. On Tuesday you could see the challenge for a couple of our younger players having to Saturday-Tuesday in the Premier League for the first time. We’d like to have one or two more available to rotate, but in general we’ve still got a pretty healthy squad.” Regarding the advantage of having two additional days of rest compared to the Cherries, McKenna commented: “We can’t count on that [having an impact]. Bournemouth are in the top two for almost every physical marker in the league and have multiple quality options in every forward area that they can rotate.”