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Following a tumultuous 2018/19 campaign which resulted in relegation from the Championship, it was always going to be intriguing to see how Ipswich Town would adapt to life in the third-tier.

Having witnessed the likes of Sheffield United and Sunderland struggle to get out of League One at the first time of asking in recent years, the Tractor Boys knew that they couldn't afford to underestimate their opponents.

With Ipswich manager Paul Lambert opting to bolster his squad in the summer by signing the likes of James Norwood and Will Keane, he would have been hoping to see both players achieve positives starts to the season.

However, whereas the former of the two strikers has illustrated some real signs of promise in the third-tier for Ipswich, the latter has struggled to make an impact at Portman Road.

Whilst the Tractor Boys are currently second in the League One standings behind Wycombe Wanderers, there is no guarantee that they will be able to get over the winning line next May.

However, the return of Freddie Sears could end up playing a key role in their push for automatic promotion.

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Having been out of action since February due to a serious knee injury, the forward has recently stepped up his rehabilitation by taking part in first-team training.

Whereas Sears is unlikely to feature in the club's upcoming clashes with Lincoln City and Blackpool, he could line-up for Ipswich during the hectic Christmas period.

Providing that the former West Ham United man can hit the ground running for the Tractor Boys, he could potentially save them a great deal of money in the January transfer window as Lambert would no longer need to strengthen his attacking options.

Given that he has scored 31 goals at League One level during his career, Sears knows exactly what it takes to succeed in this division.

Therefore, it would not be at all surprising if he takes the third-tier by storm when he is eventually fit enough to play for Ipswich.

When you consider that Sears provided 11 direct goal contributions last season before his injury setback, his long-awaited return will be welcomed by the majority of Ipswich fans.

With Norwood and Kayden Jackson both excelling at Portman Road this year, Sears could link up with his fellow forwards to form a deadly attacking line-up in the second-half of the current campaign.