Not many of Ipswich Town’s players covered themselves in glory last time out in Premier League action, as the Tractor Boys fell to a 4-1 defeat away at West Ham United.
Liam Delap could at least exit the game with some of his pride remaining, having fired home the early equaliser on the day, before Julen Lopetegui’s Hammers eventually ran rampant in the one-sided affair.
Kalvin Phillips will have trudged off at the end in a foul mood when examining his own individual display, as the ex-Leeds United man had an unhappy return to his former loan employers.
Kalvin Phillips' start at Ipswich
In truth, the Manchester City flop is yet to resurrect his playing days in Suffolk, with McKenna and Co taking a huge gamble on Phillips to come good on a season-long loan switch.
It is only early days, but there are warning signs already that Phillips will struggle all campaign long in his new environment, with his showing at the London Stadium rather dire.
The former Whites midfielder would lackadaisically give the ball away in the opening exchanges to hand Michail Antonio a first-minute opener, whilst Phillips then stood off Jarrod Bowen when the former Hull City man ran through at goal in the second 45 minutes which made it far easier for him to score to make it 3-1 on the day.
The out-of-sorts 28-year-old would be substituted off around the 74-minute mark after putting in a poor performance, with McKenna now looking at what personnel he could bring into the side over the Man City dud after the international break.
Unfortunately for the much-loved Tractor Boys manager, the options aren’t exactly overflowing, with Massimo Luongo now sidelined, alongside Jens Cajuste already being absent.
Ipswich's surprise Phillips replacement
As a result of the complications facing McKenna in the middle of the park, there could be a way back for a loaned-out presence to gain some action soon in the Ipswich first-team fold if he is recalled.
At only 20 years of age, it did make sense this summer for homegrown Ipswich product Cameron Humphreys to spread his wings and play more football out on loan at Wycombe Wanderers, with minutes going to be extremely hard to come by at the very top of the English game.
However, with McKenna already stating that he has a ‘close eye’ on the midfielder’s progression away from Portman Road and with Phillips visibly struggling, the youthful Chairboys loanee could be a welcome addition back in the ranks before too long, having shone in the third tier to date.
Games played
7
Goals scored
2
Assists
0
Shots*
1.9
Touches*
38.3
Accurate passes*
18.4 (74%)
Total duels won*
5.3
Looking at the new Wycombe midfielder’s numbers glancing at the table above, he has proven himself to be a well-rounded individual in the middle of the park so far, with an eye for goal also complemented by an ability to win tackles and play dirty.
Ipswich could have done with a tougher presence centrally away at West Ham, alongside a more attack-minded figure like Humphreys can offer, as Phillips lost out in four of the nine duels he went in for whilst Morsy registered just one blocked shot in the contest.
Labelled as a “fantastic” talent when he was first loaned out to Wycombe in the summer by McKenna, Humphreys is also being closely monitored by those back in Suffolk, with the door presumably wide open for the 20-year-old to gain more first-team chances down the line.
Already amassing 39 first-team appearances at Portman Road, the future looks bright as he attempts to nail down a first-team spot. On the flip side, Phillips will worry his time with Ipswich will just end up going down as another disappointing blot on his CV.
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