Ipswich Town boss Mick McCarthy is glad that loanee Jonny Williams is no longer viewed as the team’s star man.

The 21-year-old bore a heavy burden when it came to adding flair and creativity to a largely workmanlike and functional outfit during his impressive first spell at the club towards the back end of last season.

He has been just one piece in an impressive jigsaw during his second temporary switch from Crystal Palace though, marauding left-back Tyrone Mings making giants strides of progress, skilful teenager Teddy Bishop emerging from the academy, summer signing Kevin Bru looking a real find, Daryl Murphy finding the net regularly and David McGoldrick getting back to his best following a lengthy injury lay-off.

All of the above makes the fact that Williams is now facing up to a month on the sidelines far less of a blow than it would have been not so long ago.

“Isn’t it nice that it’s not Jonny Williams who is getting spoken about now,” said McCarthy, whose side are fourth in the Championship table with more than a third of the campaign gone, following successive wins against Blackpool, Wolves and Watford.

“It’s Tyrone Mings, Teddy Bishop, the two centre forwards (Daryl Murphy and David McGoldrick).

“That’s what I like about a team, when you’ve got a number of them where people are saying ‘wow, you’ve got a good player there’.

“As much as I love Jonny Williams, he’s not my player and is probably never ever going to be my player. It’s nice that it’s our players who are being spoken about.”

Williams was forced to withdraw from the Wales squad on Monday, ahead of their European Championship qualifier against Belgium, after he suffered a thigh injury during Saturday’s 1-0 home win over Watford.

The midfielder, who had missed the previous three matches with calf and ankle problems, limped off after once again finding himself on the end of some rough treatment. It was Joel Ekstrand’s reckless lunge which ended his match, the defender booked for a foul McCarthy called ‘cold, cynical and dangerous’.

It’s been reported that Crystal Palace boss Neil Warnock had been preparing to recall Williams, the south London club having claimed just one point from their last five Premier League fixtures.