Kieran McKenna confirms double Ipswich Town boost - Blackburn Rovers could be up against it | OneFootball

Ashley Young and Jens Cajuste are both fit and available for selection for Ipswich Town's trip to Blackburn this weekend.

Ipswich Town boss Kieran McKenna has confirmed that Ashley Young and Jens Cajuste are fit and ready to feature against Blackburn this weekend.

The Tractor Boys make the trip to Ewood Park on the back of a brilliant 5-0 win at home to Sheffield United, a result which they hope will kickstart their promotion push this season after a stuttering start.

Now, they are looking to build on that against a Rovers side that have been inconsistent in the opening weeks.

Kieran McKenna has no fresh fitness issues ahead of Blackburn vs Ipswich

Given the manner of the victory against the Blades, McKenna is likely to keep changes to a minimum against Blackburn, although there were doubts about Cajuste after the midfielder was forced off with an ankle issue last time out.

However, speaking to the East Anglian Daily Times, the boss explained that Cajuste is ready to play, whilst he also confirmed that Young will be involved after he missed the Sheffield United clash, meaning they have a fully-fit squad to choose from except for long-term absentee Wes Burns.

“Ashley's doing better. He's just managing a little bit of an issue, but he's trained with a group this week, so he'll be available this weekend. Jens is good too, so we've had the full group - apart from Wes (Burns) - training this week.”

Ipswich Town's competition for places will please Kieran McKenna

Obviously, this is great news for McKenna, as all managers want to be working with as many fit players as possible, and he will be pleased with how the group looks right now, even if he knows injuries are inevitable as the campaign progresses.

But, right now, it means Ipswich have a fantastic squad, and that is only going to drive standards on a day-to-day basis as individuals look to force their way into the XI.

You saw the benefit of that against the Blades, with Jack Clarke coming off the bench to score, and with Marcelino Nunez, Sammie Szmodics, Ivan Azon and Sindre Walle Egeli also coming on in the second half, it’s fair to say that Ipswich’s squad has incredible depth for this level.

That also highlights what Blackburn will be up against, with Rovers knowing first-hand just how good Szmodics is, as the Ireland international scored 27 times for the club in the 2023/24 season, where he was top scorer in the entire league, before leaving for Portman Road.

Elsewhere, Clarke has also shone for Sunderland at this level, whilst Egeli is the most expensive player in Championship history after joining from Nordsjaelland for £17.5m last month - and the attacking trio were only on the bench last week!

For comparison, Blackburn’s most expensive purchase this summer was Andri Gudjohnsen, who joined from Gent for around £2m, which demonstrates the financial gulf between the two clubs right now.