Ipswich Town youngster Ben Folami has been giving fans an update on his current fitness situation through the official club website.

The young striker has not appeared since April 2018, when the Tractor Boys went down 4-0 to Reading in the Championship. He ruptured his achilles eight months ago and has been on the comeback trail ever since.

He recently came through half of the Under-23 fixture against Nottingham Forest, meaning a full-time return is close, something he's clearly delighted with.

“I didn’t expect to play that long because I didn’t think I’d last that long, to be honest,” he told the Club website.

“I got through it with no problems and I’m really pleased. Touch wood that will be it for injuries for a while. There has been no reaction to playing on Monday and I’m all good to go now."

As a young player breaking through, he was happy to get first team football under his belt in those final months of the 2017/18 season and his aim is now to once again break into the first team set up.

“It was great to be involved in the first-team back then and obviously I want to get back to that level. It’s down to me to impress the gaffer and take my chance if it comes along.”

He's unlikely to be in contention this weekend though, Ipswich host Doncaster Rovers at Portman Road looking to cement their claim on a top two place in League One.

The Verdict

The first team is still a long way away for this young man; the current strikers are doing well and look likely to be regulars all season.

That means EFL Trophy action for Folami and maybe a January loan deal into the National League for senior football.

That's not a bad thing, lots of young players take that route and come back stronger and better. The injury has set his career back, but with sports science as advanced as it is, he's sure to be back and firing in the very near future.

Whether that is with Ipswich or a loan club is largely irrelevant at this stage as he gets back to fitness.