Kieran McKenna will once again be without midfielder Dominic Ball this weekend but could involve new signing Richard Keogh for the first time.

Keogh joined from Blackpool on Wednesday and could go straight into the Town squad for their clash with MK Dons, most likely appearing among the substitutes.

Ball, though, will continue to wait for his Ipswich debut as he continues to be ruled out with the ankle issue suffered during the final days of pre-season.

“Unfortunately he’s not been able to make the last step yet,” McKenna said of the former QPR man.

“It’s one of those high ankle sprains which, unfortunately, are minor but can take extra time to be close enough to 100% for us to be happy enough to put him in a match.

“He’s been working but hasn’t been able to take the next step that we’d have liked him to yet, so he’ll continue to work at the training ground.”

Young defender Corrie Ndaba is still not quite over the knock which has kept him out of Town’s last two games, but McKenna could bring new signing Keogh straight into the squad this weekend.

“Yeah, he’s settled in very well, exactly as we would expect,” the Town boss said of his side’s newest recruit.

“Around the building and the staff he’s a great person to have around. He’s very humble and a great communicator, so he will be a great addition to our culture here.

East Anglian Daily Times: Ipswich Town have signed Richard Keogh from BlackpoolIpswich Town have signed Richard Keogh from Blackpool (Image: ITFC)

“He’s trained in two sessions and you can see straight away the quality he has and the habits which have helped him have such a successful career.

“He’s going to be a very important member of the group. He’s the kind of player we’ve looked at over the summer because, very often, successful teams at this level tend to have experienced defenders in there who can contribute over the season and also to the culture around the club.

“Richard is a fantastic addition in that way.”