'Work to be done down that right-hand side'
- Published
Former Ipswich and England defender Mick Mills says missing Axel Tuanzebe in Saturday's 4-1 loss at West Ham was key and settling on a partner for him down the right-hand side is a crucial decision for Town manager Kieran McKenna.
Ipswich struggled at London Stadium without the defender, who has started each of their previous six Premier League games but missed out because of a hand injury that is set to see him sidelined for the coming weeks.
"He [Tuanzebe] has actually done better than what I thought he would do," Mills told BBC Radio Suffolk's Final Whistle. "I always felt he's not really a full-back but he's knuckled down in the Premier League really well.
"He's come against some really good players and done really well. [Kaoru] Mitoma at Brighton is a real threat and when you watched him in the final 15 minutes of that game he didn't even want the ball.
"He didn't want to take Axel on because Axel had him completely and utterly in his pocket.
"The manager has to make his mind up. There's only one area where he hasn't completely made up his mind.
"He's [Kieran McKenna] made up his mind about Dara O'Shea and Jacob Greaves in central defence; Sam Morsy and Kalvin Phillips as his pair in the midfield; and I think he believes Omari Hutchinson will develop into this top number 10 to play behind Liam Delap. That's pretty set in stone in his mind - as well as Leif Davis and Jack Clarke down the left-hand side.
"We had Ben Johnson and Wes Burns down the right-hand side [at West Ham]. Yes, Axel is his number one choice at right-back, but I don't think he knows who his partner is at the moment further ahead.
"There's work to be down that right-hand side but don't start ripping the rest of the team apart because of one result."