Paul Hurst has confirmed Dean Gerken will retain his place in goal for Ipswich Town’s visit to Hull this weekend.
The 33-year-old came into the side for the Blues’ derby clash with Norwich before the international break, replacing Bartosz Bialkowski following a poor run of form for the Poland international.
Gerken will now have a chance to further stake his claim following a solid display against the Canaries, with Hurst pleased with Bialkowski’s reaction following his demotion to the bench.
“Dean will play,” Hurst confirmed.
“Bart has got one with his job as I would I expect. I want to work with honest people and Bart hasn’t come in and seen me, which suggests he knows himself he hasn’t been at his best.
“I’m sure that will return but we will see how long he has to be patient on that. It’s only fair that when someone goes in and does well that they keep the shirt.
“That’s the scenario we are in at the minute.”
When asked about Hurst’s decision to drop Bialkowski to the bench today, defender Jonas Knudsen insisted the move showed no Ipswich player can take their place for granted.
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“It was a surprise – he was player of the year three seasons in a row – but it is the manager’s decision,” Knudsen said.
“We all support Bart as much as we can but it’s up to the manager who he wants to play. I think Bart has been absolutely brilliant and it was a little bit of a surprise, but that’s how football is sometimes.
“He has to react now and I think Bart will do that. Hopefully we will see him fighting for a place again but we know how it is – no player can take his place for granted.
“It has to be like that and it has to be up to the manager to select the team he wants. We all have to accept we are no better than our last game.
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“If you want to play you have to be at your best in training and do your stuff every single day, as well as in the games. That’s how it has to be. It’s up to the gaffer and if he doesn’t want to play Bart, or me, or Chambo, or Skusey, that’s up to him.
“It’s his decision and the only thing we can do as players is to make sure that in every single training session you do your best. Then it’s up to the manager to pick the team. We can see that no one can be sure of his place in the team.”
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