Aston Villa should recall striker Louie Barry from his loan spell with Ipswich Town if he does not start to play more regularly for the Tractor Boys, Paddy Kenny has claimed.

Barry was one of 19 new players to join Ipswich during the summer transfer window, with the 18-year-old making the move to Portman Road on a season-long loan.

Since then, the 18-year-old has played just 68 minutes of action across Ipswich's six league games across the course of the campaign for the Tractor Boys, who are currently 22nd in the League One table.

Now it seems that if Barry does not start getting more opportunities in Paul Cook's side, Kenny believes that Villa should recall the teenager in January, with a view to loaning him out to another club where he could have the chance to play more regularly.

Speaking to Football Insider about the prospect of a recall from Ipswich for Barry at the turn of the year, the former Sheffield United goalkeeper said: “I don’t see why they wouldn’t bring him back. He’s a young lad who has gone out on loan to get some game time, but Ipswich are really struggling and they’re not scoring goals.

“He’s only getting 60 minutes to impress. If I was in charge of Villa, I would be looking at bringing him back.

“If his game time doesn’t increase, they should be sending him somewhere else where he can get the minutes he needs. That game time will only be good for his future development.”

Barry famously scored on his one Villa appearance to date, netting in a 4-1 defeat to Liverpool in the third round of last season's FA Cup, when the club's senior squad was unavailable for self-isolation reasons.

The Verdict

It is hard to argue with Kenny's suggestion of a recall for Barry if he does not start to play more regularly for Ipswich.

The whole reason behind the teenager's move to Ipswich this season, was to get him the game time he needs to improve and develop, so he can compete at a higher level in the future.

So far however, he is not getting the chance to do that at Portman Road, and given you imagine there are plenty of other clubs who would be willing to give Barry those opportunities, a switch of loan teams for the teenager in January could be tempting for Villa if things do not change quickly.

Indeed, given the potential Barry possesses, and the struggles Ipswich have endured so far this season, it would seem strange if the attacker was not to get an opportunity in Paul Cook's side at some point sooner rather than later.