He’s out of sight and very much out of mind.

Paul Taylor may be getting rave reviews during his loan spell at Rotherham United, but Ipswich Town boss Mick McCarthy has intimated that there is nothing the 26-year-old forward can do to resurrect his Blues career.

When asked if the door was still ajar for the transfer-listed Liverpudlian, who has become a firm fans’ favourite at the New York Stadium following just four starts, McCarthy replied: “He’s there until January. Listen, I know there are a lot of people who have a really good feel for Paul but there’s nothing I can do about that.

“I haven’t seen it in my team whenever he’s played – whether that’s starting or coming off the bench. If I had I wouldn’t have let him go.

“Maybe how he’s playing at Rotherham suits him, I think he played wide left against Millwall recently. I don’t know how many glowing reports he’s getting but good luck to him. I guess he’s still our player when all’s said and done.”

Taylor – a £1.5m deadline day signing from Peterborough in August 2012 – is now in the final year of his three-year deal at Portman Road. Town’s top-earner has made just seven league starts for the club, injured in his first season and down the pecking order since his return.

The Blues strike force currently consists of David McGoldrick, Daryl Murphy, Conor Sammon and Balint Bajner, with Taylor, Jack Marriott (Carlisle) and Frank Nouble (Coventry) all out on loan at present.

McCarthy looks set to utilise the ‘emergency’ loan window – which opens next Tuesday and allows teams to sign players for 93 days. It’s understood that preliminary talks regarding the return of Crystal Palace midfielder Jonny Williams took place on Monday and that a deal could yet be struck.

Free agents can be signed at any time with Town currently considering whether to offer experienced midfield ‘triallists’ Jack Collison and/or Darren Ambrose short-term deals.