IPSWICH Town have suffered a blow with the news that Darren O’Dea will be sidelined for six weeks due to a knee injury.

The utility defender has impressed since his loan switch from Celtic, but he has struggled with the knee problem in recent weeks after picking up the injury while away on international duty.

O’Dea is unlikely to be fit before December, and his loan spell from Celtic is set to expire at the beginning of January, so it is a big setback for Town boss Roy Keane.

Town boss Roy Keane explained: “Darren has had an operation on his knee in London, and spent a few days in Glasgow.

“But he is flying back to Ipswich today and will be doing his recovery with us. The specialist has said he will be out for six weeks, but knowing Darren, he’ll be back before then.

“For the last three weeks, he was just training and resting, which wasn’t ideal. We will miss him.”

The Town boss also revealed that he is hoping to sign a new loan player by the end of this week, a midfielder-cum-defender from a Premier League club.