IPSWICH Town manager Mick McCarthy says Bilel Mohsni will see out the remainder of his loan at the club – despite loan rules meaning he is unlikely to feature in the matchday squad any time soon.

The versatile defender/striker – who has been restricted to cameo appearances off the bench since Paul Jewell brought him in from League Two club Southend United – had to be dropped from the bench for Tuesday’s 3-1 win over Nottingham Forest due to loan restrictions.

Championship clubs are only allowed to name five domestic loan players in their 18-man matchday squad, with Stephen Henderson (West Ham), Danny Higginbotham (Stoke), Bradley Orr (Blackburn), DJ Campbell (QPR) and Tyrone Barnett (Peterborough) McCarthy’s chosen quintet.

Massimo Luongo saw his season-long loan from Tottenham prematurely terminated due to a lack of games earlier in the campaign, but McCarthy says he wants to keep hold of Mohsni as cover until his switch expires in the New Year.

“He is here until January and nothing will change,” said the Blues boss. “There might be an injury to a loan player and he will be involved. Sadly, that is the position we are in with all the loan players.

“I don’t know (what his best position is). I haven’t found anyone else who actually knows.”

Meanwhile, McCarthy was full of praise for two other loanees – keeper Stephen Henderson and midfielder Guirane N’Daw – following their impressive displays against Peterborough and Nottingham Forest.

“It was a great finish!” joked the Blues boss, speaking of N’Daw’s powerful strike into an open net. “He has been excellent. Through playing he has just got fitter and sharper. He does all the tackling and working but some of his passes the other night were brilliant. He really had an excellent game.

“Everyone tries to get a good spine in the team and you have to have that. Without it, you can be vulnerable. Hendo, having conceded all those goals and being pretty annoyed about it, has had two terrific games.”

Asked if he had been able to assess his squad fully after a month in charge, he added: “Everyone is different; I can probably read some of them quicker than others, some will impress me quicker than others. Some might depress me quicker than others. I am dealing with human beings.

“I would say they recognise me as the boss, the gaffer in the place, and even that takes a while – you don’t get that instantly. The performances have gradually got better. Tuesday night was the best we have played since I have been here.”