Zeki Fryers insists he’s ready to hit the ground running with Ipswich Town.

The 22-year-old left-back joined on loan from Crystal Palace last Thursday and looks set to go straight into the starting line-up for tomorrow’s televised crunch clash with Championship promotion rivals Bournemouth at Portman Road (5.15pm, Sky Sports).

That’s because Tyrone Mings is suspended for the next two matches and Jonny Parr is struggling with a hamstring injury, but ex-Manchester United and Tottenham man Fryers – who joined the Eagles in a £5m deal just last summer – is not daunted by a baptism of fire against the league leaders.

“I’ve settled in quickly,” said the defender. “They are a great bunch of lads here, they have welcomed me and there is already banter going.

“I enjoyed my time on loan at Rotherham earlier in the season and that gave me some experience of the Championship because I’d never played there before.

“This is the perfect opportunity for me and I just want to finish this season on a high by playing games and this opportunity was perfect for me.

“I last played about two or three weeks ago but I’ve been training since then and I feel fine. We have two games in a short space of time over Easter (Huddersfield away on Easter Monday) and I’m really looking forward to it.”

Having been at Manchester United from the age of 10 to 19, Fryers made the bold decision to turn down a three-year deal at Old Trafford in order to seek regular football elsewhere. He spent a short time at Belgian club Standard Liege then signed for Spurs, making 10 starts and six substitute appearances, before moving on to Palace last summer.

That switch hasn’t worked out so far, but Alan Pardew’s arrival at Selhurst Park has given him hope that he could yet become a regular for the south London club.

“I don’t have any regrets,” he said. “I would have liked to play more games for Palace this season but they must have thought I wasn’t ready and now it’s about me coming here to show what I can do.

“No disrespect to Neil Warnock – he’s got his ways of managing and so has every other manager – but I think the way Alan Pardew manages a team is better for Palace.

“Right now though I am fully focused on playing my part here and hopefully helping Ipswich win promotion to the Premier League.”