'I wouldn't have dropped to League One for anyone else' - Morsy on Cook reunion

Midfielder Morsy was Town’s final deadline day signing, bring the total to 19, as Cook brought in the man who captained his Chesterfield and Wigan sides to promotion.

Asked if he would've dropped down a division for any other manager, the 29-year-old said: "Not a chance. We’ve been very successful together and I think he’s built a very exciting squad.

"I loved my time at Middlesbrough; the manager, the staff, the players and the fans have all been amazing with me. When it was time for me to leave, I couldn’t think of a better place for me to move to than Ipswich.

Ipswich Town have signed Sam Morsy from Middlesbrough (Image: PA)

"There were a couple of options but then the big pull for me was knowing the manager; his style of play, his record. I don’t want to be dropping down a level but hopefully it is just a season and then we can get this club closer back to where it belongs and striving to do well."

Morsy, who has yet to arrive in Suffolk after his deadline day move from Middlesbrough was completed remotely, continued: "It’s massively exciting, you just look at some of the names.

"The manager rang me to try and convince me and said 'we’ve just signed Celina.' My reaction was just 'wow’ and he said 'yeah, wow.' It’s a project that I'm excited to be a part of."

Morsy, who will wear the No.55 shirt at Ipswich, arrives at a time when he is suspended for the Blues’ next three League One games, following a red card in his last outing for Boro.

He could, though, make his debut against West Ham’s Under 21s in the Papa John’s Trophy, with that competition ring-fenced in terms of suspensions.

The 29-year-old is likely to be named Town's new skipper, with Cook stopping short of naming a permanent club captain this summer. Lee Evans, Morsy's former Wigan team-mate, has had the armband during the opening month of the League One season.