‘Unless we sold anybody I doubt very much we’ll be going out to buy anyone’ – those are the thoughts of Ipswich Town boss Mick McCarthy ahead of the January transfer window.

The Blues are eighth in the Championship table, just two points adrift of the play-off places, ahead of festive games against league-leaders Wolves (away, tomorrow) and bottom-half QPR (home, Boxing Day).

McCarthy had just 15 fit players involved in training yesterday, with Cole Skuse (ankle), Dean Gerken, Tristan Nydam (both hip) and Flynn Downes (calf) the latest players to suffer problems in an injury-cursed campaign.

With key men Bartosz Bialkowski, David McGoldrick and Skuse all in the final year of their contracts, McCarthy said: “I don’t know if there is anybody looking to buy any of ours, but if we sell anybody we are going to be pretty bare backsided aren’t we? I’m not particularly looking to sell anybody, that’s for sure.

“I can’t stop bids coming in if people want to do that, but we want to keep progressing. We are in a good position at the minute and we want to push on and do even better.”

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Town finance director Mark Andrews recently said: “If in January we are still there or there abouts then it could be that some additional players come into the squad at that point.”

McCarthy, who says he hasn’t had a discussion with owner Marcus Evans about potential January transfer funds, said: “I’m happy with what I’ve got – the strikers I’ve got, wide players, while Tom Adeyemi, Skusey, Flynn (Downes) and Tristan (Nydam) will be back soon so it’s not like I haven’t got any midfielders.

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“I think we’ve got a really good squad of players and if everybody is fit it’s unlikely we would be adding to it.

“Again, it will be loans and not much else. I pretty much know what we’ll be doing.

“If we can get loan players… We’ve got three already, so we have got to be careful because we don’t want too many of them.

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“Or if there is somebody available... Unless we sold anybody I doubt very much we’ll be going out to buy anyone though.”

McCarthy has confirmed he will look to sign a goalkeeper given back-up man Dean Gerken is struggling with a hip injury, while he says there is ‘no point’ asking Everton if Callum Connolly is available to buy before his season-long loan expires.