Ipswich Town manager Mick McCarthy has not ruled out the possibility of sending Paul Taylor out on loan this season.

The livewire striker caught the eye following a £1.5m switch from Peterborough last August, but an ankle injury sustained in only his third game ruled him out for the remainder of the campaign.

The 25-year-old returned to action in pre-season and impressed in several pre-season friendlies, but he was brought on – then taken off – in the 1-0 defeat at QPR, with McCarthy saying that he didn’t think the front man was ready for the pace of Championship games.

“He needs minutes on the pitch more than anybody, but it’s just not fallen right for him,” said the Blues boss. “The team is playing well and he just can’t get on. We’ll just have to keep monitoring that one.” Asked if he’d consider sending Taylor out on loan, McCarthy said: “I haven’t got the squad big enough really. I don’t know, we’ll see. I’m saying he needs minutes, but how do you get them? Playing for the Under-21s? They’re not great games because they are not as competitive as they should be. We’ll see, we’ll just keep a close eye on that one.”

Meanwhile, the Town manager says that veteran striker Alan Lee – who has returned to the club primarily to coach at the academy, but who has also been registered as a player – could be in a match day squad soon.

Asked if the 35-year-old was close to getting a place on the bench, he said: “Yes, he is. He’s been training well.

“I don’t think he’s going to be running down channels and all over the place, but he keeps the ball up the pitch and doesn’t allow it to come back. I don’t know whether he could do that for 90 minutes, but he’s a good target man and he’s actually got a goal in him too if you put crosses in the box.”

He added: “I’ve just said that Paul Taylor is unlikely to get on the pitch because of the way we’ve been playing though, so it’s probably unlikely for Alan as well at the moment.”