DAVID Nugent's loan move to Ipswich is likely to be made permanent in the summer, providing he does the business in front of goal.Portsmouth goal-scoring legend Guy Whittingham can see no way back to Fratton Park for Nugent whose disappointing Pompey career suffered its biggest blow to date when Harry Redknapp accepted Town's ambitious loan bid.

Derek Davis

DAVID Nugent's loan move to Ipswich is likely to be made permanent in the summer, providing he does the business in front of goal.

Portsmouth goal-scoring legend Guy Whittingham can see no way back to Fratton Park for Nugent whose disappointing Pompey career suffered its biggest blow to date when Harry Redknapp accepted Town's ambitious loan bid.

Town have paid a loan fee for Nugent who has told Portmouth he is willing to come to Portman Road now that his abductor strain has healed and Whittingham believes that shows he no longer figures in Redknapp's plans.

Whittingham said: You would have to say it's the beginning of the end for the lad. I remember being loaned out by Villa to Wolves. At Sheffield Wednesday I was loaned out to Wolves and Watford and at Pompey I was loaned out to Peterborough and Oxford.

“Each time it signalled the end of me at that particular club.

“Unless you are a very young player looking for experience, if you are loaned out usually the writing is on the wall in terms of your time at that club.

“If a manager is willing to let you go it's not good. In this case, Harry is prepared to let Nugent go for the rest of the season with no option to bring him back.”

Although Nugent scored the goal that knocked Ipswich out of the FA Cup, he has not had the best of times at Fratton Park with just three goals in total since signing last summer.

After recently recovering from a hernia operation, Nugent has been battling back from an abductor muscle problem and does not want to commit himself to Ipswich until he knows he can do himself justice.

He could sign before the weekend and be available for the trip to Pompey's arch-rivals Southampton on Saturday but is unlikely to start as he is short of match fitness.