IPSWICH Town manager Mick McCarthy has assured supporters that the club will never rely on loan players again as long as he’s in charge.

Having masterminded a surge up the Championship table with a return of 23 points from his first 12 games in charge, the Blues boss now faces an uncertain January transfer window as numerous short-term deals begin to expire.

Red-hot striker DJ Campbell – scorer of 10 goals in 16 games – returns to QPR following today’s home match against Brighton (3pm), while Danny Higginbotham is on the verge of signing for another club following the expiration of his switch from Stoke, leaving the Blues with just two recognised centre-backs.

In addition, keeper Stephen Henderson (West Ham loanee) and midfielder Nigel Reo-Coker (short-term contract) are available for just two more league games as it stands, while right-back Bradley Orr has four more games before his return to Blackburn.

“This won’t happen again next season,” said McCarthy. “Not a chance, the club can’t let it happen again – it’s not right.

“I keep coming in here and being asked questions about who is staying and who is going and I haven’t got a clue half the time.

“I want to be the master of my own destiny. We might have five loan players again next season, but I’ll make sure we’ve got 18 others to supplement them.

“I wouldn’t want this situation again going forward.”

Speaking of Campbell, McCarthy said: “He’ll go back and we’ll see what happens after that. I think Harry (Redknapp) will justifiably want to have a look at him.

“We are trying to do a deal to keep him and hopefully we can.

“DJ wants to stay, but I guess if he went back and Harry stuck him in the team and he played well then he’d want to stay there.” He added: “We’d hoped to extend Danny Higginbotham’s stay, but it was always on the understanding that if something better came along – not necessarily a better club, but something geographically better and a club where he would be playing – then he would do that.

“I’d like to keep Nigel (Reo-Coker) and extend Stephen Henderson’s loan. I know that we might not keep all of them though and we can’t afford to have a last minute panic looking for replacements. I am actively looking at other players too.”

A host of McCarthy’s former Wolves players continue to be linked with Ipswich, while Nottingham Forest striker David McGoldrick – who has scored 16 goals in 21 games on loan at League One side Coventry City – is also understood to be on the club’s radar.

– See today’s EADT and Ipswich Star for full match preview. For live updates, follow @Stuart_Watson and @davegoods on Twitter.