IPSWICH TOWN: Steve Bruce has expressed his surprise that Jack Colback chose to come back to the Blues after both Leeds United and Leicester City both also wanted to take 21-year-old on loan.

The Sunderland manager thought the midfielder might have fancied a challenge at a different club.

But Colback was keen to return to East Anglia and work with ex-Black Cats boss Roy Keane again.

Bruce is an admirer of Colback’s potential and put him in the Sunderland first-team squad this season, only to reluctantly release him on loan because of the intense competition for places.

“Midfield is probably the area where we have most options and I eventually decided to let Jack go,” said Bruce.

“This was because he wasn’t getting close to the first team and he is a young player who needs games.

“I didn’t think –the way we were going in the league – that he was going to get into the team at this stage.

“So I had to make a choice and I thought to be fair to him I had to let him go and get playing his football again.

“He was playing in a very youthful reserve side and I don’t think that was doing him any favours.

“So we let him go again.

“I was surprised he turned down Leeds and Leicester, but obviously he has an affinity with Ipswich and wanted to go back and work under Roy.”

Colback has strong links with his home region and the attraction of Leeds goes beyond the club’s history and tradition – at less than 100 miles from home, he could have stayed much more in touch with the North East.

Leicester City recently signed Colback’s youth team-mate Martyn Waghorn in a �3m deal and with the striker and midfielder being best pals, it would have been no surprise had he opted to move to the Walkers Stadium.

But Colback has an emotional attachment to Portman Road where he was voted Player of the Year last season.

And although much of his loan spell there last year was spent in helping the Blues escape the relegation trapdoor, he is hoping to spend this season battling for points at the right end of the table.

Troy Brown is set to win his first Welsh Under-21 cap after being selected in the squad for the friendly against Austria at Newport on Wednesday November 17.

Former Town loanee Liam Rosenior has joined Hull City on a short-term deal until January.