JASON De Vos hopes to be back in Ipswich next May after admitting that he is now in a 'real job.'

Elvin King

JASON De Vos hopes to be back in Ipswich next May after admitting that he is now in a 'real job.'

The former Ipswich Town skipper hung up his boots at the end of last season and went back to his native Canada to work as a television football analyst.

He spoke to the Evening Star today and revealed that he is now the 'eyes and ears of Ipswich Town in North America'.

And he has promised his former team mates that he will be back to join in any promotion celebrations.

“I have already recommended a couple of players to Jim Magilton,” said De Vos from his Toronto base.

“And I will continue to be the eyes and ears of Ipswich Town in this part of the world.

“There is no doubt in my mind that Jim will prove to be a very successful manager, and a top-two finish is possible this term. If not then his squad is more than capable of claiming a play-off place.

“And when they reach the Premier League I will come back to join in the party - hopefully next May.”

De Vos works for CBC which is the Canadian equivalent of the BBC, and he has just finished covering the Canadian women's team that reached the quarter-finals of the Olympic Games football tournament.

He summarises games for the nationwide station and has just returned from a trip to Montreal, adding: “I am now in a real job.

“It was not until I took this appointment that I realised how much free time footballers get.

“The timing was not good, and perhaps my reaction might have been different if Ipswich had won promotion last season.

“But at the end of the day opportunities like this do not come around very often and although it was a hard decision I felt it was time to take up a new career.

“I have no regrets, although I will always have a feeling that I left some unfinished business behind me at Portman Road.

“My four years with Ipswich were the best of my footballing life, and I wish I had joined the Blues much earlier.

“I religiously keep check on Ipswich's results and have been on the phone to Jim a few times. He has brought in some excellent players although it might take time for them to gel.”

De Vos met up with some West Ham players when they took part in the annual game against the MLS All Stars.

Made up of players selected from within the Canadian League, the All Stars side ran out winners.

“They have an unbeaten record in their annual fixture against Premier League sides,” added De Vos.

“This shows how much football is thriving over here and I am very positive about the future of the game in Canada.

“Football is really taking off, but it means I have not has as much time for golf as I thought I would have.”