Ipswich Town manager Mick McCarthy isn’t expecting to see Daryl Murphy in a Blues shirt until the Championship campaign resumes after the international break.

Murphy missed Saturday’s 2-1 win at Preston with a calf problem and is likely to be missing for Saturday’s top-of-the-table clash with Brighton, at Portman Road.

Then comes the international break, with Murphy’s Republic of Ireland in European Championship qualifying action against Georgia and Gibraltar.

Murphy has been named in Martin O’Neill’s squad for that double-header, along with Town team-mate David McGoldrick, but McCarthy doesn’t anticipate seeing last season’s 27-goal top-scorer pulling on a green shirt either.

“I doubt very much he will be fit before the international break and I doubt very much he will be involved at international level, as he is still injured,” said McCarthy, whose side travel to Doncaster Rovers in the Capital One Cup tonight.

“That gives him a chance for when we come back on the Friday night (at Reading).”

Meanwhile McCarthy issued updates on fellow injured trio, Teddy Bishop, Kevin Bru and Jonathan Parr.

“Bish (Teddy Bishop) was always planned to be (scheduled to be back) after the international break and that will allow his shin splints to settle down. His hamstring will be fine then and he will have been able to get some rehab and fitness work in.

“I saw Kevin on the gravity-reducing machine and he seems fine and happy with himself and he should be back pretty quick.

“Jonathan Parr trained (yesterday) and said he is OK, but he will not be fit for Preston and won’t be fit for Saturday.”

The Blues travelled to Doncaster yesterday, in preparation for tonight’s game, and McCarthy has highlighted potential dangers in the Rovers side.

“Andy Williams comes to mind, they have (James) Coppinger, but it depends who is fit and who plays,” added McCarthy.

“They have some height at free-kicks and corners, I think they have a big, tall left-back whose six-foot-three and Rob Jones who is about six-foot-five.

“We could go there and play really well and not score and then get done from a free-kick or a corner, so we have to deal with that right.”