It’s reinforcements that are required, but Ipswich Town boss Mick McCarthy has refused to rule out further player exits ahead of Monday’s transfer deadline.

The Blues boss has just 16 senior first team outfield players to select from for tomorrow’s match at Derby County, with Conor Sammon ineligible to face his parent club, Cameron Stewart and Stephen Hunt still sidelined and the quartet of Paul Taylor, Anthony Wordsworth, Jack Marriott and Freddie Veseli all out on loan.

“Yes, I’d like reinforcements. That’s not going to happen between now and Saturday though,” said McCarthy yesterday. “Are we going to get anyone before the transfer deadline next Monday? I don’t know, maybe.

“If somebody came in it would probably be a loan. I’m just hoping it will be nobody out because if the phone rings I guess it will come down to what people perceive to be our best players. I don’t want to lose anybody else.”

With centre-back Tommy Smith linked to Crystal Palace yesterday morning, new boss Neil Warnock looking to add ‘four or five players’ to his Premier League squad, McCarthy was asked – given his earlier comments – if that meant all of his players have a price.

He replied: “If I say to you ‘I hope the phone doesn’t ring for any of my players’ it means ‘I hope nobody rings me about any of my players’. It doesn’t mean anything else.

“I’m not in a position to accept a bid or to turn one down. You’d have to speak to (owner) Marcus (Evans) about if there’s a value on anybody.

“My call would be ‘no’ if someone came calling for any of our players. I think that’s the same with Marcus too.”

Free agent midfield duo Jack Collison and Darren Ambrose continue to impress in training, but McCarthy says he will not make a decision on either of them until he’s seen them both play in an Under-21 game against Sheffield Wednesday at Portman Road next Monday.

“They’ve both trained well, they’ve both looked fit, but it’s a different ball game playing 90 minutes on a big pitch,” said McCarthy. “Neither of them have looked out of place in training though, that’s for sure.”

On whether he felt his squad did need reinforcements, he said: “Of course, I’d like Hunty back and Cameron back as well. That would be a really good start. But yes, I’d like reinforcements. That’s not going to happen between now and Saturday though.

“I get asked about making changes, but I guess you can see there aren’t lots of changes I can make. We’re alright though, we can get a team out no problem.

“While we’ve got those options there’s no need to panic. I think when Premier League clubs do get their squads together eventually that’s the time when they’ll loan somebody out.”

Although the transfer window for permanent deals shuts on Monday, the ‘emergency’ loan window – for 93-day deals – opens a week later, while free agents can be added at any time.

For the time being, transfer-listed striker Frank Nouble – who has not featured in the 18-man matchday squad since missing a hatful of chances in the Capital One Cup defeat at Crawley – will be recalled to the bench.

Asked if there had been any interest in the front man, McCarthy said: “No, he’ll be involved on Saturday. He’s trained with us every day and that’s not going to change until, or should I said if, somebody comes in and wants to take him.

“He’ll be involved on Saturday because Conor (Sammon) can’t play.”

– Is the lack of goals and creativity from midfield a concern? Read McCarthy’s response in tomorrow’s EADT.