Ipswich Town boss Mick McCarthy says it’s likely that he will bring Kieffer Moore back into his squad in the New Year following the striker’s goal-scoring exploits on loan Rotherham United.

The 6ft 5in front man – who was recruited from non-league club Forest Green Rovers for £10k in January this year – is the leading scorer in League One after netting 11 times in 14 appearances.

“My intention when I sent Kieffer out was to certainly get him games,” said McCarthy. “It was unfortunate for him last year because he came into a team when we weren’t playing well, so he didn’t play well himself.

“On the back of having to come into a team that’s not exactly ripping it up, that was tough for him.

“He went away in pre-season and came back a lot fitter and he’s done really well at Rotherham. I saw him play at Wimbledon and we’ve had him watched pretty much every game. He’s scored some really good goals and gets in the box.

“So, the intention was to send him out to see whether he could get games and score goals and then we’d take a view on it. And that’s still the same.

“But, of course, the more he’s scoring goals, the view is that he’s more likely to come back here at Christmas and see whether he can replicate it in the Championship. And that’s my intention, that’s always been my intention.”

Meanwhile, McCarthy says Everton haven’t shown any frustration regarding loan defender Callum Connolly’s lack of action since joining the Blues on loan. The 20-year-old has made only two starts since joining for the season on transfer deadline day.

“I speak to Joe Royle (Everton’s head of youth development),” said McCarthy. “Joe contacts me most weeks and asks me if he’s playing. I think he would come and see him or send somebody else.

“I’ve not had any complaints from them. I don’t leave them out of the side if they’re the standout best player, that’s for certain. But he’s done very well, he’s settled in and he’s doing really well in training.”