Leeds United promotion rivals handed injury boost as key man given 'optimistic' news

Ipswich Town remain hopeful that Wes Burns will be able to make some impact on the remainder of their Championship season. Burns has been missing since picking up a hamstring injury before the international break.

The issue saw him drop out of the Wales squad last month, while he has been forced to watch three key games in the Championship promotion race from the sidelines as the Tractor Boys push for promotion to the Premier League. His absence was probably felt by Kieran McKenna's side last time out, too, as a 1-0 loss at local rivals Norwich City saw them knocked off the top of the table.

There had been initial fears that Burns could be set to miss the remainder of the season with the injury, but McKenna has moved to give Ipswich fans hope that he could return in the next few weeks, with less than a month to go before the regular season draws to a close.

“The scan was a positive, so no guarantees yet but we’re certainly more optimistic that we’ll see him before the end of the season,” McKenna confirmed when asked for the latest on Burns.

The winger, who has been with Ipswich since joining from Fleetwood Town in 2021, has made 32 appearances for the club this season, scoring five goals and setting up three more.

Ipswich dropped to second after their defeat at Carrow Road on Saturday and with five games to go, they now sit one point behind league leaders Leicester City and one point above Leeds United, who were also beaten on Saturday. However, McKenna will be confident that his side can bounce back in the right manner by seeing off Watford at Portman Road on Wednesday night.

The Tractor Boys take on Middlesbrough at home on Saturday before travelling to both Hull City and Coventry City. They round the regular campaign off with a clash against Huddersfield Town at Portman Road.