IPSWICH TOWN: Jack Colback was placed straight into the Sunderland first team on his return to the Black Cats after his season-long loan with the Blues.

So his chances of returning to Portman Road next term are slim although Town manager Roy Keane has said that he would welcome the midfielder back with open arms.

Colback’s Premier League debut did not go to plan as the 20-year-old was sent off after receiving a second yellow card in the 2-1 defeat at Wolverhampton.

But Sunderland manager Steve Bruce is excited by the progress that Colback has made playing first team football in the Championship and sees the Tyneside-born player playing a part in his squad in 2010/11.

Talking about his immediate plans, Colback said: “I know it’s a big challenge but you’ve got to aim high.

“I know how much quality there is in the Sunderland squad and I also know that it is only going to get stronger.

“But I’ve had a successful season this time around and as long as I’m continuing to progress, I’ve got to be happy.”

Colback feels that playing in a number of positions under Roy Keane’s guidance at Portman Road will prove beneficial for him.

“The Ipswich move was good for me in so many ways but one of the ways I think it helped my game was in learning to become comfortable playing in different positions.

“Central midfield is my preferred place and that’s where I’ve played with the youths and the reserves.

“I got a few chances to play there at Ipswich too but I was also asked to play left-back and almost all of my football since the turn of the year was played out on the left-wing.

“It’s the wing where the manager most asked me to do a job and the place where I got my best run in the side.

“I think it’s a good thing that you’re able to play in more than the one position, simply because it gives the manager more options with you and increases your chance of getting a game.

“If the manager has a problem in a certain position and knows you’re capable of playing there, then you have an advantage in terms of being an option to him.”

Luca Civelli is keeping his fingers crossed that when he returns with his Town team mates for pre-season training on June 28 he’ll suffer no adverse reaction after being out of the game for over a year with a career-threatening knee injury.

Civelli, 23, was allowed to return home to Argentina for the second half of last season but before that had been in light training.

“Luca will join in with the rest of the group and there won’t be any cotton wool wrapped around the boy,” said Keane.

‘’Making progress in the gym and out running is all well and good but on top of that football is about holding people off, twisting and turning and we won’t know about that until pre-season.

“I don’t think I’m going to be depending on Luca stepping straight back into the first team.”