Ipswich Town assistant boss Stuart Taylor says the club will think carefully about whether to send some of their young players out on loan during the January transfer window.
The likes of Armando Dobra, Idris El Mizouni, Barry Cotter, Ben Folami, Brett McGavin and Bailey Clements have all been handed a taste of first team action this season, but their opportunities now look limited with the Blues out of the FA Cup and EFL Trophy.
"That's a possibility," said Taylor, when asked if loan departures were likely. "We've always spoken about getting them minutes on the pitch and giving them experience.
"They've had those minutes, so that's looking back on the positives of the season up to now. Players have had minutes on the pitch that they probably wouldn't have had otherwise. The manager's believed in them, he's played them and they've gained massively from that.
"If players aren't likely to feature, then we'll look at that and see if any players can go on loan. But we know it's the right environment for them here and we need to make sure it's the right environment for them if they go out on loan to a club.
"That's a decision for the manager to make, whether he wants them to go out on loan or he wants to keep them because we are going to get injuries from now until the end of the season.
"We've got to make sure we've got a squad that's strong enough to go and compete in every single game, so if we need the players here then we'll keep them here.
"If the manager thinks they should go out on loan then we need to be careful with the clubs we put them out to and make sure they're going to develop and progress and that they're ready to come back for us next season.
"It is a possibility, but in terms of individuals and who's going out, we've not spoken about that yet."
Town have had mixed success in terms of sending players out on loan in recent years. Flynn Downes and Luke Woolfenden benefitted hugely from their spells in League Two at Luton and Swindon respectively, as did Jack Lankester and McGavin at their hometown club of Bury Town.
By contrast, Tristan Nydam (St Johnstone), Morris (Forest Green) and Corrie Ndaba (Chelmsford) found game time limited during spells away.
- Inside: What Town might do in January.
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