Ipswich Town defender Janoi Donacien has returned to former club Accrington Stanley on loan – just a fortnight after formally completing his £750k transfer in the other direction.
The Blues signed the 25-year-old St Lucian from the League Two champions back in July, the deal a loan with view to a permanent £750k switch once his ‘permanent leave to remain’ residency permit was rubber-stamped by the home office.
He started out as a regular at right-back under manager Paul Hurst, but dropped down the pecking order and has been completely out of the picture under new boss Paul Lambert, the latter having been clear he sees the former Aston Villa player as a centre-back.
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Donacien, who has made 10 starts and one substitute appearance for the Blues, is contracted at Portman Road until 2021.
Accrington Stanley are mid-table in League One having recently knocked Ipswich out of the FA Cup at the Wham Stadium.
Donacien follows Danny Rowe out of the exit door after the out-of-favour winger joined promotion chasing League Two side Lincoln City on loan yesterday.
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Lambert, who has signed six players in the January transfer window, said yesterday: “The lads have to play and that’s important. My job is to get this football club to be as strong as it can be, but those two lads (Rowe and Donacien) definitely need games because they haven’t featured as much under myself.
“Jordan (Roberts) was another one, and there were teams who wanted him, but things have broken down, been back on and then broken down again.”
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