Norwich City forward Liam Gibbs knows his dad will have mixed feelings ahead of his return to Ipswich Town in the East Anglian derby this Saturday lunchtime.

Born and raised in Bury St Edmunds, Gibbs joined the Blues’ academy at the age of eight, captained various age groups, was handed his senior debut in the EFL Trophy at the age of 16, penned an 18-month professional contract on his 17th birthday and made a League One start against Charlton before turning 18.

It therefore came as a major disappointment when he rejected a new deal in the summer of 2021 and crossed the border to join arch rivals Norwich for an undisclosed six-figure compensation fee. Ipswich had just finished ninth in League One, with Paul Cook in the early stages of management, while Norwich had just been crowned Championship winners.

“My dad (Rob) is a very big Ipswich fan!” revealed Gibbs, in an interview with Pink’Un+ back in April last year.

“I’m one of three brothers and none of us support Ipswich, but dad is a strong Ipswich fan. He wants what’s best for me, obviously, but it must have hard for him to see that I was moving to his biggest rival. Put it this way, I don’t think we’ll get him in a Norwich shirt any time soon!

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“I’m still in contact with some of my former team-mates – we have a game of golf or whatever. They still call me a ‘snake’ every now and then! That’s okay, it’s just banter – I know that. We had a couple in the team who are Ipswich through and through and they must have found it more difficult to see me make the move.

“Leaving Ipswich was definitely a tough decision because that’s all I’d known, that had been my life. But I thought I had to do something new and go outside my comfort zone. That’s what I have done and I feel it’s paid off.

“I came here because I saw a pathway for myself. I have seen young players go from the Under-23s into Norwich’s first team (the likes of Max Aarons, Jamal Lewis and Todd Cantwell) – they’re a club that has to do that really to succeed. It’s gone a lot smoother than I anticipated."

Gibbs - who turns 21 on Saturday - has made 22 starts and 23 sub appearances for the Canaries, scoring one goal so far. He started a 2-1 win at Bristol City earlier this month and has subsequently been used off the bench in recent games against Preston and Sheffield Wednesday.