'He trained separately' – Ipswich Town boss explains why Akpom has yet to make his debut

Ipswich Town manager Kieran McKenna has revealed that Chuba Akpom was left out of the squad for Sunday’s 1-1 draw with Southampton due to minor injury concerns.

Akpom, who recently joined the Tractor Boys on a season-long loan from Dutch side Ajax, is working to regain full fitness after a challenging spell in the Eredivisie.

McKenna explained that the former Arsenal striker experienced muscle tightness during his first training sessions with the club, forcing the technical crew to ease him back gradually.

"He trained separately at the early part of the week but he had some muscle tightness and soreness after we tried to get him up to speed, so we've had to slow it down a little bit," McKenna was quoted as saying by East Anglia Daily Times.

The Ipswich boss expressed hope that Akpom would be available soon, stressing his importance to the squad as they look to bolster options in attack and midfield.

“Hopefully it won't be too much longer because it would be really important to have him with a group as soon as possible given we're shorter in the midfield and forward positions than we want to be, not just in terms of numbers but also just the readiness of those players getting up to full speed and full fitness," McKenna added.

He further noted that Akpom could feature in upcoming games once he completes more training sessions.

"Hopefully he'll get some more training under his belt this week and be available for a few minutes soon," he concluded.

Ahead of the upcoming clash, the Ipswich manager will be hoping to have Akpom fit and ready for the fixture against Preston North End.

Adeyemi Adewale

Copyright ANS
All rights reserved. This material, and other digital content on this website, may not be reproduced, published, rewritten or redistributed in whole or in part without prior express written permission from allnigeriasoccer.com