Townsend suffers ACL injury in pre-season

Conor Townsend made just three starts for Ipswich in the Premier League last season

Ipswich Town have confirmed left-back Conor Townsend suffered an injury to his anterior cruciate ligament during the 3-0 pre-season victory against Auxerre at the weekend.

Midway through the first half, Townsend went to ground on the halfway line with no one near him before walking off the pitch to be replaced by new signing Ashley Young.

On X, Ipswich stated Townsend is now set for a "lengthy spell on the sidelines" as he recovers from the injury.

If Townsend has suffered a tear to the ACL, he is likely to miss most of the upcoming season.

The former West Bromwich Albion player made only three league starts for Ipswich last season during their first campaign back in the Premier League since 2001-02.

He was seen by head coach Kieran McKenna as an understudy to Leif Davis, who the club confirmed missed the Auxerre match due to a minor knock.

Ipswich start their Championship campaign with a trip to newly promoted Birmingham City on Friday night [20:00 BST].