Jack Clarke backed for Ipswich Town success as rotation player - it's a far cry from his role at Sunderland | OneFootball

FLW's Ipswich fan pundit has given his verdict on Jack Clarke's potential game time after Jaden Philogene's hat trick last Friday

This article is part of Football League World's 'Terrace Talk' series, which provides personal opinions from our FLW Fan Pundits regarding the latest breaking news, teams, players, managers, potential signings and more…

Jaden Philogene’s hat-trick for Ipswich Town against Sheffield United last Friday night may have heaped more pressure on fellow winger Jack Clarke, whose time in Suffolk hasn't been great so far.

The arrival of Sindre Walle Egeli, along with Philogene’s good form, could see the ex-Sunderland player relegated to a secondary role in Kieran McKenna’s side, should the aforementioned pair end up being the chosen regular starting paid out wide.

Clarke was a top player in the division during his time at the Stadium of Light, enjoying a career-best of 15 goals and four assists prior to his move to Portman Road in 2024.

However, he found himself on the bench for the 5-0 drubbing of Sheffield United, and could find himself on the bench more often than not if Philogene can maintain this level consistently, given the fact his primary role is as a left-winger.

Egeli’s arrival late in the window for big money also likely means that there won’t be much space on the right-flank for the 24-year-old either.

Jack Clarke may have to settle for rotational role at Ipswich Town this season

When asked about Clarke’s potential game time, FLW’s Ipswich fan pundit Adam Wilkin claimed that the winger will still get plenty of minutes, citing Philogene’s underwhelming performance against Derby County before the international break as one example of why.

He also believes that rotation will be important this season, and that the Tractor Boys’ strength in depth will be key, and that competition for minutes in the side is important.

“I think the fact that Jack Clarke and Sammie Szmodics, to a certain extent, are part of our second string currently, players coming off the bench, says a lot about the quality of strength and depth in our squad,” Wilkin told Football League World.

“I think, of all the positions, that left-wing is the most competitive, and although Jaden is in good form at the moment and played very well on Friday night, he did have a bit of a poor game against Derby, and it took Clarke coming off the bench to secure a point there.

“But I think it’s a good thing to have that competition for places.

“I think at Sunderland, he was the main man and obviously they built the team around him and McKenna has said that we’ve changed the setup this season slightly to try and get the best out of both Jaden and Jack Clarke, who play wide on that left-wing.

“So I don’t think it’s that much of a surprise.

“I think it shows the quality of the squad that we have and the talent off the bench, and there will be certain games where you’ll need Clarke’s profile, there’ll be certain games where you need Philogene’s profile.

“There will be a lot of midweek games where games will be coming thick and fast where it will be beneficial to rotate the squad, so I think both of them will get plenty of game-time either starting or coming off the bench, and it just shows what a good position we are in.”

Jack Clarke will still get his chances for Ipswich Town - but he needs to really step up a gear

Ipswich came back from the international break with an emphatic response to their disappointing start to the new season, and whilst Clarke did end up getting on the scoresheet, it was only after he came off the bench.

It is a long Championship season ahead, and McKenna will no doubt have rotation in mind when the fixtures start coming in thick and fast over the next couple of months.

Clarke came off the bench against Sheffield United and scored, showing he’s definitely still capable of performing at this level, but perhaps he may be best off as an impact player for now, given it was in a cameo where he made his goal happen.

McKenna has the good kind of problem in that he has too many attacking players for too few spots, so he will have some selection headaches to come.

But if Ipswich can play like they did on Friday night on a consistent basis, then he’ll be glad to have this kind of selection problem.