IPSWICH Town are preparing the ground to take 19-year-old Mexican international Giovani Dos Santos on a season-long loan at Portman Road in 2009/10.

Elvin King

IPSWICH Town are preparing the ground to take 19-year-old Mexican international Giovani Dos Santos on a season-long loan at Portman Road in 2009/10.

The Blues have the tricky forward-thinking player back with them after a groin problem and he is expected to be in the side for Saturday's Coca-Cola Championship game against Doncaster Rovers at Portman Road.

Dos Santos is currently on loan from Premier League Tottenham Hotspur until the end of the season, and scored Town's last goal - a spectacular solo effort in the home 1-1 draw with Burnley on March 17.

If he can liven up what looks like being a rather drab end to the season for Ipswich, he will become high on the list of players Blues manager Jim Magilton would want next term.

Magilton is believed to be already thinking along those lines and is set to ask Spurs boss Harry Redknapp about the former Barcelona player's long-term availability.

Dos Santos has taken time to settle in English football, and Redknapp was happy for him to get valuable experience at Portman Road over the latter weeks of this season.

And he could well see it as part of the promising youngster's education to have a season at Championship level.

Dos Santos came off in the first half of the goalless home draw with Watford on March 21 and missed last weekend's 2-0 defeat at Sheffield United.

He joined up with the Mexican squad for their world cup qualifiers against Costa Rica and Honduras but was sent back to Tottenham when it was found that he was not fit enough to play.

Spurs were happy for him to return to Suffolk this week, and assistant manager John Gorman said: “Gio is back with us and that's good news.

“He did some light work with the fitness coach because the injury is still niggling him a bit and we will have to see how he goes this week.

“We hope he will be fit for the games over Easter.”

After the visit of Doncaster, Ipswich travel to Bristol City to play the west country club at Ashton Gate on Easter Monday afternoon.

Jon Walters could also be back in action at the weekend having originally been ruled out for the season after damaging ankle ligaments at Wolverhampton on March 10.

Gorman is optimistic and he said: “Jon has trained with us this week and he's shown a great improvement.”