Ipswich Town

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Ipswich striker Liam Delap has got "all the attributes to be a top international player", says former Liverpool midfielder Danny Murphy.

The 21-year-old has been one of the Tractor Boys' standout players on their return to the Premier League, having scored six goals and made one assist in the 12 games so far.

Discussing the young forward on Match of the Day 2, Murphy said: "He has got a lot of qualities.

"I have seen him quite a lot this season and I would probably go as far as to say he is the obvious long-term successor to [Harry] Kane. I think he is the best young English striker out there.

"I know he has got a lot to learn and wisdom comes with experience and game time in this league, but he has got all the attributes to be a top international player.

"I just don't see a weakness for him. He has scored enough goals in a struggling side really, but if he gets a lot of chances he will score more. He has just got that lovely balance between physical and technical [ability] and rarely do you get both. He is a super talent."

Delap, son of former Premier League midfielder Rory Delap, joined on a permanent transfer in the summer from Manchester City's academy having previously spent time on loan at Championship sides Stoke City, Preston North End and Hull City.

"Being at Manchester City [I have seen] him work day in and day out from his knee injury when he went back from Hull to Manchester City to get back fit," added former City captain Steph Houghton.

"For me, he has been really impressive and and by far Ipswich's best player so far."

Watch the full discussion on BBC iPlayer

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We asked for your thoughts after Sunday's Premier League game between Ipswich Town and Manchester United, which ended in a 1-1 draw.

Here are some of your comments:

Ipswich towns

Matt: I thought we looked like a proper Premier League team. We were better than Manchester United. This line-up is definitely our strongest 11 (apart from the absent Greaves). If we continue to play like this we will stay up. Omari was outstanding.

James: This was another step in the right direction for Town, with a fully deserved point. It was frustrating to concede so early, as we were the team in the ascendancy in the first half, which was capped by a superb goal by Omari Hutchinson. There wasn't much between the two sides in the second half and we again showed our resilience to see out the draw.

Michael: Wonderful performance by Town after what some would say is our regular early mistake. We battled well and had we won the game it would not have been an injustice. Credit should also go to the referee, Anthony Taylor, who allowed the game to flow and kept control throughout.

Phillip: We more than matched a top team in the Premier League/ Europe. We probably should have got all three points. We have to believe in this fantastic team of ours because we were brilliant, as we were at Tottenham. We are building something special. Kieran McKenna, what can I say, amazing achievement. Absolutely buzzing.

United fans

Mike58: Obviously disappointed not to win but a draw was the least Ipswich deserved. Signs of life to come - a manager/coach with tactical knowledge and an identity. He will improve these players, for sure. Having had only days to work with these players he has overachieved. Onana clear player of the match for United.

Mark: Early days but the same old problems resurfaced and we need to stop giving the ball away cheaply. We bossed the second half and deserved the win, but the cutting edge is still missing up front and we should be more clinical. Hopefully Amorin will iron these problems out and we will improve - slowly but steadily.

Toni: Wasn't expecting miracles, to be honest. Amorim has a lot of work to do. However, some players can be moved on in January. We cannot and must not have a squad of uninterested professionals. A draw was good enough but we need more effort.

Davos: A steady start for Amorim. He has plenty of work to do to get the boys firing on all cylinders. The midfield seemed a little slow at times and we just need a striker to be in the box for when the ball is played into that area as both Zirkzee and Hojlund look lost. Onwards and upwards.

Simon Stone
Chief football news reporter

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When looking at the Premier League table, it should not be forgotten Ipswich started their season with matches against Liverpool and Manchester City.

They also faced Brighton and Aston Villa ahead of their assignments either side of the international break against Tottenham and Manchester United.

Four points from the latter two games, and a point collected from a meeting with Leicester immediately before that is a decent return. They may be back in the bottom three but Ipswich are now within striking distance of a group of teams above them.

The key now is to maintain standards.

Liam Delap is clearly a goal threat and only Andre Onana's brilliance prevented him from scoring at Portman Road on Sunday.

But it was also a big step forward for Omari Hutchinson. The £20m man didn't just score, he frightened Manchester United with his intelligent running and movement.

At 21, a lot is being asked of the summer signing from Chelsea. Against United he showed the levels he can reach. If he can get there on a regular basis - and crucially against the teams around Ipswich in the table - the Tractor Boys could well be roaring well clear of trouble.

Jason Mohammad presents highlights and analysis from Sunday's two Premier League fixtures, plus the best of the action from the rest of the weekend.

If you missed Match of the Day 2, catch up now on BBC iPlayer.

And you can watch Saturday's Match of the Day here.

Listen back to the weekend's full match commentaries on BBC Sounds:

• Arsenal 3-0 Nottingham Forest

• Manchester City 0-4 Tottenham Hotspur

• Southampton 2-3 Liverpool

• Ipswich Town 1-1 Manchester United

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Ipswich boss Kieran McKenna, speaking to BBC Sport: "We could have won the game, we finished the first half in the ascendancy and deserved to be at least level.

"The second half was competitive, we had a few big chances but had to be disciplined with our defending. On another day we could have won it but if you concede an early goal the game could have run away from us so credit to the players."

On conceding early: "When we have a setback then everyone responds really well and doubled down on what we needed to do. As the half went on we got more aggressive and more brave."

On facing his former club: "Everyone knows my history with the club but today was about Ipswich, the players and the supporters having Manchester United come to the stadium for the first time in 22 years and representing themselves really well."

Were you at the game or following from elsewhere?

Have your say on Ipswich's performance, external

What did you make of Manchester United's display?, external

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

Chris Sutton is making predictions for all 380 Premier League games this season, against a variety of guests.

For week 12 he takes on The Farm singer and Liverpool fan Peter Hooton.

The Farm's new single, Forever & Ever, is out now and their new album, Let The Music (Take Control), is released in May 2025.

Sutton's prediction: 1-1

I am guessing this is Ruben Amorim's first visit to Ipswich and it is not the ideal place for him to get started with Manchester United.

Ipswich's win at Tottenham will give them real belief and they have had three draws already at home, so they will be competitive, especially if United are adapting to a new system - a lot of their players are coming back from international duty and have not had time to work with Amorim.

United will have some defending to do because Sammie Szmodics is lively up front and Liam Delap is a handful too - his stats for goal involvements, including assists, is really impressive. Ipswich just need to stop being so careless defensively. If they do that, they could get something from this game.

Everyone else is probably going to put Amorim to start with a win, but I am going for a draw.

After all the excitement and the hype about the apparent upgrade, then it is unthinkable for United to lose to the Tractor Boys, but imagine if they do drop points?

Hooton’s prediction: 1-2

Ipswich got a great result against Spurs but with this being Amorim’s first game, his players are going to be trying to impress him, so I can only see a United win.

Obviously I hope they don't get back to what they were under Sir Alex Ferguson, but wouldn't it be great to have four or five clubs challenging for the title? That would be unbelievable. I am quite happy that United have fallen off a cliff since Ferguson left but, in a way, you want them back so you can win the league ahead of a strong United side.

Read the full predictions and have your say here

Nicola Pearson
BBC Sport journalist

Ipswich Town boss Kieran McKenna has been speaking to the media before Sunday's Premier League game against Manchester United (kick-off 16:30 GMT).

Here are the key lines from his news conference:

• McKenna confirmed that Jacob Greaves, Jack Taylor, Kalvin Phillips and Ben Johnson have all got fitness issues and will be "touch and go" for the game, while George Hirst "will be out with the injury he picked up in the Tottenham game which is really unfortunate".

• He added: "We are going to put out the team we think gives us the best chance to win the game and I think we have enough depth at the moment to be competitive in the match. We will have some good options and hopefully if we can get a few players back in the next week or so we will have a strong squad available for a busy run of games."

• On how they have used the international break: "We've had the balance of a little bit of rest - because we know it is a busier spell coming up now right through until the March international fixtures - but also some good preparation time. Preparation time that has been important with the team we are facing next under new management... It's been about getting them focused and ready for a big performance on Sunday."

• On hosting United: "Another fantastic occasion to have United, one of the biggest clubs in the world, coming to Portman Road for a game on a Sunday in front of a global audience. It is one to really embrace, one to really look forward to. The players are, the staff are and I'm sure the supporters are as well."

• McKenna said they have to get their "mindset right" for the extra attention on the game, adding: "There is a bit of extra buzz around games like these in the media, or around the town and with supporters, but that is something to just enjoy. It shouldn't take anything away from our work. We have to focus on doing our jobs and preparing the gameplan as well as we can."

• On how preparation is different when facing a manager in his first game: "The process is a little different. You tend to watch some games of the manager's previous club, whether that is tactical things, technical things or even mental things that were important in that. You cross that between studying and analysing the players at the club and anything relevant from recent games that we think will probably come up again."

• He said the "players can't do this one by themselves" and are going to need a "big impact from the crowd", adding: "In the moments when we are in the ascendency, having 30,000 behind us and pushing us is a big, big help. We can't wait for the atmosphere on Sunday - it is going to be great and is always a big help for us."

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

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The Telegraph's Luke Edwards believes Ipswich and Leicester "have a real fighting chance of staying up this season" and it would cause "fear" in the Premier League as two longer-serving teams could be relegated.

All three of the promoted sides went back down last season, but Ipswich and Leicester sit outside of the drop zone as league football resumes on Saturday.

"Ipswich are just a great story," said Edwards on the BBC Radio 5 Live Football Daily podcast. "We are all football romantics and their story is one.

"The football they play under Kieran McKenna and their unbelievable journey make them a shining beacon to so many football clubs.

"Wimbledon did it in the 1980s, Portsmouth have done it and it is a magical carpet ride where anything seems possible. If they can stay up, then it sends a message to the rest of the English football pyramid that you can dream and have aspirations.

"Ipswich fans were really miserable in League One and almost at their darkest hour, but now they are in the Premier League and competing.

"If they can stay up, alongside Leicester, then it does create fear in the Premier League because two so-called established teams will go down."

Listen to the Football Daily podcast on BBC Sounds

Ipswich Town got their first Premier League win of the season before the international break while new Manchester United boss Ruben Amorim is gearing up for his first game at the helm.

That sets up an intriguing battle at Portman Road on Sunday.

But, while they go head to head on the pitch, we have asked our fan writers for each club to go head to head off it.

Each fan got to ask three questions of the other before the big game...

Steve Mellen
Fan writer

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Here is what our Ipswich Town fan writer Steve Mellen had to say in response to questions from our Manchester United contributor Dale O'Donnell.

How important is Kieran McKenna to Ipswich Town?

He is the key to the success of the past two seasons and getting him to sign a new deal was the most important event in our summer.

We get nervous every time a Premier League club sacks their manager. He is brilliant.

Ipswich's last league win over United came in 1994. Can the Tractor Boys ruin Ruben Amorim's first game in charge?

Confidence is high after the past two performances. I am slightly wary of calling a win, as you assume the United players will want to impress their new boss.

I think as it is at Portman Road we can get a point, but we expect United to be up for it and to present a huge challenge.

Are you confident Ipswich will avoid relegation?

Hopeful rather than confident.

We seem to be finding our feet, as the win at Spurs shows, but the odds are against us as a team that was in League One in recent memory.

We will fight to the end and will not be daunted by any challenge, and McKenna's ability to improve players and maintain team spirit will be key.

Steve Mellen is the former editor of ITFC magazine Meet Me At Sir Alf, and also represented fanzine Those Were The Days

Dale O'Donnell
Fan writer

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Here is what our Manchester United fan writer Dale O'Donnell had to say in response to questions from our Ipswich Town contributor Steve Mellen.

What are the expectations this season now Ruben Amorim is in post?

Amorim will be tasked with delivering on several fronts, but United fans are desperate to see an attractive playing style that showcases a sense of identity.

We did not know which United would show up from one week to another under Erik ten Hag, and he lost his job for not winning enough football matches.

What was the biggest issue for you under Ten Hag?

The biggest issue in my eyes was how Ten Hag came from a successful Ajax side that played great football, and when he was unable to implement that system at United, he tried to make us a transitional team heavily reliant on the counter-attack.

The Dutchman may be a shrewd tactician but he watched his midfield regularly get overrun.

With Oasis reforming do you wish it was the early '90s again with Fergie at the helm and United churning out great teams from their own youth system?

No, because I enjoy reminiscing about those times.

The Class of '92 is not something any other English club has been able to replicate and can only be compared to the Busby Babes of the 1950s and 1960s. Our academy still produces the best young players in the country, as seen with Alejandro Garnacho and Kobbie Mainoo.

As for Oasis, I hope their reformation means Manchester City go back to being rubbish.

Find more from Dale O'Donnell at Stretty News, external

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Ipswich chairman and chief executive officer Mark Ashton has revealed that pop superstar Ed Sheeran helped Ipswich secure one of their summer signings on a Zoom call, just before performing on stage alongside Taylor Swift.

The 33-year-old lifelong Town fan has been sponsoring the men and women's team's shirts since 2021 and acquired a minority stake in the club in August.

Speaking about the impact the singer has on the club to Sky Sports News, Ashton said: "A local man, global superstar, sponsor of the football club, now a shareholder and now officially part of our recruitment team,"

"In the summer we were trying to persuade one particular player to join the football club and realised very quickly that he was an Ed Sheeran fan.

"Ed jumped on a Zoom call with him at the training ground just before he stepped on stage with Taylor Swift, hopefully that was a key part of getting the player across the line.

"We've gone from the third tier of English football to the Premier League, but we haven't forgotten our roots and Ed's a key part of that. The work that we do in our local communities is central to us."

Ipswich, Brighton and Southampton are considering a move for Vasco de Gama's Brazilian forward Rayan, 18, in January. (Give Me Sport), external

Want more transfer stories? Read Thursday's full gossip column

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Ipswich defender Ben Johnson spoke to BBC Radio Suffolk about his first few months as a Town player: "I didn't realise how difficult it would be to settle in. I thought I would just come in and hit the ground running, but that's life if it doesn't happen like that.

"I feel like I've come in for the last few games and taken my opportunity. I've come in and the rhythm and form has picked up. I feel like I am fully settled now.

"It's just about wanting to come here and be committed to this club. I really see a vision and see great things from the players and the staff. It's something I want to be a part of, just giving my all and playing for the team is important to me."

On Sunday's game against Manchester United, Johnson added: "It's going to be a great game, probably one of the most televised games this season because it's massive when United come to town. Their new manager is very good and is going to implement a lot of great stuff.

"We're playing at Portman Road. It can be intimidating at times but it's a great stadium and we love to play there. It's going to be a great game regardless of what happens. It's always a great feeling when you play against the biggest clubs in the world."

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Ipswich are the only side without a Premier League win at home this season (P5 D3 L2). Only five newly promoted sides have failed to win any of their opening six home matches of a campaign in the division, and all five went on to be relegated.

The Tractor Boys have had the fewest shots (108), shots on target (33), touches in the opposition's box (199) and expected goals (10.2) of any side in the 2024-25 Premier League.

Meanwhile, Liam Delap has scored six of Town's 12 league goals this season, making him one of only three players to have scored at least half of his side's goals in the competition this term, alongside Erling Haaland of Manchester City (12 of 22) and Nottingham Forest striker Chris Wood (eight out of 15).