There is ‘nothing sinister’ about striker David McGoldrick’s continued injury woes, insists Ipswich Town manager Mick McCarthy.

McGoldrick – who missed the back end of the 2013/14 campaign with a medial knee ligament injury – struggled to rediscover his top form earlier this season and has now missed the last 12 matches with a recurring thigh problem.

Some supporters have suggested on social networking websites that there must be more to the situation behind the scenes, with all sorts of conspiracy theories emerging about the player being unhappy having been denied a big money move to Premier League club Leicester City last August.

Asked if people were simply putting two and two together and coming up with five, and if the front man would still be at Portman Road next season, McCarthy said: “I can’t help how people count and whether they can add up or not. There’s nothing sinister about Didzy’s situation at all. He is desperate to play. You should see the look on his face today.

“I asked him if he was okay and he said ‘no’. Then I said ‘your injury is different, how are you?’

“In answer to your original question, yes, of course he’s going to be here next season. There you go ‘Mick McCarthy confirms David McGoldrick will be here next season’.”

Asked if McGoldrick and midfielder Luke Hyam, who suffered his own injury set-back in training last week, had any chance of featuring in the club’s last five matches, McCarthy replied: “That’s doubtful actually because Didzy keeps coming back, he gets to a stage where he’s training and then he’s missing another week. His rehab keeps getting put further and further back.

“I’ve told Luke (who has suffered hip, Achilles and knee problems in a stop-start campaign) to just leave it and see where he’s at if we get to the play-offs. He doesn’t want be in here all close season because he’s had a tough time with the injuries. He wants to be fit when he leave so that he can come back fighting fit.”

Speaking ahead of tomorrow’s visit of rock-bottom and already relegated Blackpool, McCarthy added: “There are no fresh injuries thankfully. I lie, Dylan Connolly got a knock in the 21s on Monday, having been excellent in that game, so he won’t be in the squad.

“Jonny Parr is back, but everybody else is the same.”

In addition to McGoldrick and Hyam, Noel Hunt (knee), Darren Ambrose (rehabbing after a hamstring problem) and Kevin Bru (calf) all remain sidelined. Tyrone Mings is available again following a two-game suspension.