Ipswich Town

Manchester United are tracking 22-year-old Ipswich Town forward Liam Delap. (Athletic - subscription required), external

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Marcus Rashford "would be an addition to any team in the league", says Ipswich boss Kieran McKenna.

McKenna previously worked with Rashford during his time coaching at Manchester United and is anticipating facing the 27-year-old when Town travel to Villa Park on Saturday.

"We know what a threat he is," McKenna said. "I think football careers are tough, and especially when you start as young as Marcus did and you break in at at 18. If you play until your mid-thirties or beyond, then it's not all going to be smooth sailing. It very rarely is.

"It's always easy to look at the negative aspect and you could certainly flip that on the head and say that he's a young player, he's come through the academy, from Wythenshawe and played for his boyhood club. He's won trophies and broken records and done some incredible things.

"His life is football. Things don't always go in a in a smooth direction. He's still young enough and he's still talented enough, so I'm sure he'll be working hard to play again regularly and and hit really good form."

Following Jhon Duran's move to Saudi Pro League side Al-Nassr, Rashford will now provide competition for striker Ollie Watkins.

"They've got a really deep, high quality forward unit where they can make really impactful subs," McKenna added.

"You're going to face a really strong front four at the start of the game, and there's every chance you're going to face a really strong, different front four at the end of the game. We've had to be thorough in our preparation."

Nicola Pearson
BBC Sport journalist

Ipswich Town boss Kieran McKenna has been speaking to the media before Saturday's Premier League game at Aston Villa (kick-off 15:00 GMT).

Here are the key lines from his news conference:

• McKenna confirmed thatConor Chaplin remains unavailable, but Sammie Szmodics' ankle injury reoccurrence "has not been too serious" and that it will be a "judgement call" on Friday whether he will be fit.

• On the "few little setbacks" Chaplin has had with his MCL injury: "He had a slightly different course of treatment this week to see if that can accelerate it a little bit because he's not quite been over able to meet that last hurdle. A slightly different direction this week and fingers crossed he will be back with the group next week."

• On being able to rotate his squad for last week's FA Cup win at Coventry: "A good little confidence booster, even for people in the building, for some of the work that's going on, some of the improvements being made. It's hard to show it against Liverpool, against Manchester City, some of the toughest teams you have. With there being less games in the in the Premier League, it's hard to always get the validation of improvements being made in a group like ours."

• McKenna also said new goalkeeper Alex Palmer did "everything you would want" from a debutant and that it was "the perfect game to put him into": "There's a possibility [Palmer will start at Villa]. It gives us the type of options that we want. We'll pick what we think is right for each game".

• On the defeat by Southampton in their most recent Premier League game: "Everyone was really disappointed by the result, but the the reaction has been what it needed to be. We felt the hurt together, we analysed the things that we needed to do better and then we've got on with trying to improve - the players and the group with the new players. It was a good week last week and a good game in the cup, and now we look forward to a big challenge."

• On dealing with hostile atmospheres at grounds like Villa Park: "Over the course of the season, we've had experience of trying to manage that. Of course, we're not perfect, but we've learned some lessons and we'll need to use them on Saturday. On top of that, it's also important you go there with a bravery to go and play your game and try to impose yourself on and off the ball. Make sure that you can take the crowd away from the opponent at times."

Catch up on all of Thursday's Premier League news conferences and the rest of the day's football news

The Premier League's bottom two Southampton and Ipswich using the highest number of players this season - 33 and 31 respectively - does not come as a surprise.

Both are newly-promoted sides with relatively limited budgets who began the campaign with managers that had never previously led teams in the division.

Saints suffered an identity crisis under Russell Martin who refused to his possession-based approach for the top flight before replacing him with Ivan Juric who is still attempting to find his favoured starting XI.

Ipswich have fought admirably in their first Premier League season but manager Kieran McKenna is learning on the job. Back in October, BBC Radio Suffolk's Graeme McLoughlin wrote he was "not sure McKenna knows his best line-up yet" and, although things have settled, the Town boss is still adapting from game to game.

When contrasted with high-flying Nottingham Forest - who have used 23 players, the lowest in the division- it is clear the impact a settled, consistent starting XI can make.

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Aston Villa have lost just one of their past 14 top-flight meetings with Ipswich (W10 D3), a 1-0 home defeat in March 1994.

Excluding own goals, 95% of Ipswich's 21 Premier League goals this season have been scored by British or Irish players, the highest proportion by a team in a campaign since Wolves in 2011-12 (98% - 39/40).

Seb Brown
Fan writer

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Four goals scored in an away win made Saturday feel like a return to familiar surroundings at Championship level for Ipswich, following a difficult season so far.

Last April, a 2-1 win at the CBS Arena, in the penultimate game of the season, saw Ipswich move to within a point of promotion. Saturday was never going to reach anywhere near those heights, but there was still much positivity to take away.

The match was a stark reminder at the differences in levels between the Championship and the Premier League. Ipswich did not have to get into top gear to win and while Coventry had moments, the game was a relatively comfortable victory.

The main reason for optimism, other than the four-goal haul, was the performance put in by Ipswich's reserve players against a strong Coventry side.

Premier League money has allowed Town to hoover up the outstanding talent from last year's Championship and players who have been thrown into a top-flight relegation battle were able to show their quality when performing back at a more familiar level.

The standout player at the weekend was Jack Clarke, a £15m summer signing from Sunderland after 15 goals and four assists last year.

Clarke has been involved in some sliding doors moments so far this season. There was a penalty overturned by VAR against Everton and a key moment when he hit a post in the dying moments at Craven Cottage, with the ball bouncing straight back into play and Fulham immediately scoring a late equaliser.

Clarke's clever feet and calm finishing saw him leave Coventry with two goals and an assist. His off-the-ball work was also excellent in a performance which will hopefully give him confidence after a difficult campaign so far.

Ipswich are into the FA Cup fifth round for the first time since 2007. With some big sides already out of the competition, could a cup run be on the cards?

Find more from Seb Brown at the Blue Monday Podcast, external

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Former player Paul Anderson highlighted Jack Clarke as Ipswich's key player in the 4-1 FA Cup win over Coventry City.

Speaking to BBC Radio Suffolk, Anderson said: "As attacking players, goals are always that confidence builder, but forget about the goals. If he wouldn't have scored [against Coventry] he still would have been the difference between the teams.

"With his football intelligence and the positions he was picking up on the pitch, he caused real problems to the Coventry defence. When he got the ball he tended to make the right decision most of the time.

"With a performance like that, he would hope to have put his name on the team sheet against Aston Villa."

On fellow winger Jaden Philogene, Anderson added: "That goal maybe takes a bit of pressure off him. I would have liked to see a bit more from him but games don't always pan out that way. The ball didn't necessarily come to his side that much, it came to where Jack Clarke was a lot.

"He got his goal and everyone will feel great about that. Hopefully he can get a few more in the Premier League and win a few points."

Chelsea and Manchester United are interested in Ipswich striker Liam Delap. (Football Insider), external

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The draw for the FA Cup fifth round has been made. Here is a list of all the ties involving Premier League teams in the order they were drawn.

Games will be played over the first weekend of March.

• Aston Villa v Cardiff City

• Crystal Palace/Doncaster v Millwall

• Man Utd v Fulham

• Newcastle v Brighton

• Bournemouth v Wolves

• Man City v Plymouth

• Exeter/Nottingham Forest v Ipswich

See the full draw

Is there something you want to ask about a Premier League club?

Former Premier League defender Nedum Onuoha is ready to answer your burning questions and give his thoughts on some of the biggest talking points for a special Q&A.

Submit your questions here and come back on Thursday for his answers

We asked for your views on Saturday's FA Cup match between Coventry and Ipswich.

Here are some of your comments:

Andy: This result and performance shows that we are way too good for the Championship but lack that bit of quality needed for the Premier League. It may not even be down to quality but the belief of the team that walks out on to the pitch.

James: Jack Clarke has surely played himself into the 11 for next week? Yes it may have been against Championship opposition but hopefully this gives the players a timely boost ahead of the forthcoming games.

Terry: Same 11 next week please. They wanted to win.

Matt: At last a performance to savour. Well done Jack Clarke who showed what he can do. Gutted for Sammie. Let's hope we can bring this sort of performance into the Prem.

Kevin: A good performance, plus we gave the fringe players some game time. Nice to see Jack grab a couple as it's been difficult for him to establish a permanent position. Positive performance from our new signing in goal. Only downside was the injury to Szmodics. But a good confidence booster for next week's tough challenge at Villa.

David: So glad that Alex joined us from West Brom. Much needed after we wasted many millions on Muric. I can't see him playing again this season and hopefully he's gone in the summer.

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Ipswich Town scored 4+ goals in an away FA Cup game for the first time since January 2002 against Dagenham and Redbridge (4-1), while the Tractor Boys have reached the fifth round of the competition for the first time since 2006-07.

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Ipswich boss Kieran McKenna spoke to BBC Match of the Day after Saturday's victory against Coventry: "It's always a good sign [winning despite 11 changes] and it's how we have worked over the last few years where we train hard with the whole group and try to have two players challenging for any position - we have faith in the players to come in for any game.

"We have shown we can put in a good performance with a changed group and that's one of the big positives. It's a really good day for the group, Aston Villa next week is a challenge up from this."

On Jack Clarke, who scored twice and made one: "We're delighted for Jack. He has really shown good signs. He joined us late in the [summer] window and has stepped up to the Premier League for the first time. But he's a really talented footballer, a good athlete and a good lad. He is making some progress and showed that today."

On goalkeeper Alex Palmer's debut following his £5m move from West Brom, he said: "He did really well and it was the perfect opportunity to bring him in against an opponent that he has already faced this season. He stepped straight into the team and showed his quality."

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Were you at the game or following from elsewhere?

Have your say on Ipswich's performance

Come back to this page on Monday to find a selection of your replies

Nine Premier League teams are competing in Saturday's FA Cup fourth-round action, and we will bring you every moment.

• Leyton Orient v Man City (12:15) - watch on BBC One and listen on BBC Radio 5 Live

• Coventry v Ipswich

• Everton v Bournemouth

• Southampton v Burnley

• Wigan v Fulham - listen on BBC Radio 5 Live

• Birmingham v Newcastle (17:45) - listen on BBC Radio 5 Live

• Brighton v Chelsea (20:00) - watch on BBC One and listen on BBC Radio 5 Live

All kick-off times 15:00 GMT unless stated

Follow all the action and reaction here

Ipswich are on a terrible run in the Premier League, with their worst result coming with their home defeat by Southampton on Saturday.

Coventry have been doing much better under Frank Lampard in the Championship, winning four games in a row before they lost to leaders Leeds on Wednesday.

On the face of it, this looks like a possible upset, especially if Ipswich rest players, but I actually think they will go strong.

The Tractor Boys are a team who need a result to kick on after losing their past four matches.

Kieran McKenna's side are have got games coming up against Aston Villa, Tottenham and Manchester United and they need to win a game first to give themselves some confidence and try to find some rhythm again.

Sutton's prediction: 0-1

Read the full predictions and have your say here

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The fifth-round draw will take place during Monday's episode of The One Show on BBC One and BBC iPlayer.

Former England winger Theo Walcott, who won the trophy twice while with Arsenal, will conduct the draw at about 19:10 GMT.

There are 16 Premier League teams left in the draw, with Leicester having been beaten by Manchester United on Friday, and Arsenal, Brentford and West Ham exiting in the third round.

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Earlier, we asked you to name the former Ipswich manager from a series of clues.

The answer was Mick McCarthy, who was in charge between 2012 and 2018.

Josh Lobley
BBC Sport journalist

Ipswich Town boss Kieran McKenna has been speaking to the media before Saturday's FA Cup game against Coventry City (kick-off 15:00 GMT).

Here are the key lines from his news conference:

• McKenna confirmed that Wes Burns has had successful surgery for his ACL injury: "Thankfully it all went well. It's as positive as it could be."

• Elsewhere, Sammie Szmodics will be back in the squad for Saturday's match. Connor Chaplin and Christian Walton are still unavailable, with the latter expected to be out for "around eight weeks".

• McKenna confirmed new signing Alex Palmer will be in the squad: "We are pleased to bring him in. He is a really good and experienced keeper and is someone that has been on the radar for a while. We felt it was the right time to bring another goalkeeper in. He has fitted into the group really well."

• He is satisfied with the overall business done in the transfer window: "We worked really hard in the window and it gets more difficult every year. The squad is in a stronger position than it was at the start of January and we've got pretty good depth across the positions."

• McKenna is confident he can adequately cover Burns' season-ending injury: "Losing Wes [Burns] is difficult and we can't replace it like for like, so we have to replace it with different qualities. Ben [Johnson] has played there, Omari [Hutchinson] can play there and we feel like Jaden [Philogene] can bring quality there."

• However, he admitted covering Chiedozie Ogbene's injury is a bit more difficult: "I made it known that I wanted to have three senior strikers in the building, but the market is small for that type of striker. We didn't want to bring a body for the sake of the body."

• On Saturday's opponents: "We know them really well. They are a really strong squad and they seem to be on an upward trajectory. It's going to be a tough game, this is a few levels up [from the last FA Cup round]."

Follow all of Friday's FA Cup news conferences and the rest of the day's football news