Ipswich Town's £1.5m agreement with Man Utd ended up being an underwhelming flop: View | OneFootball

There was plenty to be excited about when Lee Martin made the move from Old Trafford to Portman Road back in 2009, but the winger never lived up to the lofty expectations of the Ipswich Town faithful during his time in Suffolk.

Having impressed on loan at a number of EFL clubs, it looked like the permanent move away from the Red Devils was going to be the next step in a promising career for the midfielder, with Roy Keane bringing him to the club for a reported £1.5 million fee.

In reality, Martin’s time in East Anglia wasn’t anything to write home about, with the Town boss sticking him on the transfer list just two months after he had scored his first goal for the club, although he did go on to remain at the club for four years.

With just six goals in his 100 league games for the club, the, the midfielder flattered to deceive during his time in a blue shirt, and exemplified the malaise that the club found themselves in at the time.

Lee Martin early career: Manchester United, Stoke City, Plymouth Argyle

Martin managed just three matches for the Manchester United first team during his stint at Old Trafford, with his debut coming in a 4-1 League Cup victory over Barnet in 2005.

With Sir Alex Ferguson ruling the roost at the time, the winger was sent on a number of loans to gather first-team experience, with a spell at Rangers in the Scottish Premiership followed by stints at Stoke City and Plymouth Argyle.

After further spells with Sheffield United and Nottingham Forest, the Manchester United man had become a regular feature in the EFL by the age of 21; having played for four separate teams in a 20-month stretch before rumours of a move to Ipswich came about.

With his reputation growing as a player that would hug the touchline, beat a man and whip in a cross, Town fans would have been excited to see what the seven-figure fee arrival would offer to the club going forward, with plenty expected as he made the move East.

The early signs looked good as Martin made his big break into the footballing world; with a number of all-action displays on the wing seeing him start the season as a first choice attacking threat, aiming to supply the likes of Jon Walters and Pablo Counago.

After pouncing on a loose ball to grab his first goal for the club in a 3-3 draw with Doncaster Rovers, it looked as if the new arrival was all set for a strong season ahead, only for Keane to lose faith in his summer signing, with game time becoming scarce.

Just 18 appearances that season says all you need to know about how quickly Martin’s stock dropped in the Tractor Boys’ dressing room, something he said effected his game in a recent interview.

He said: “Roy couldn’t understand that none of us were at the level he had been while playing. I was actually transfer listed by him two months after I’d scored my first goal for the club.

“I was still only 23 and my head was scrambled, but the mental health side of things wasn’t as talked about as it is today.”

To pile on the misery, Martin was shipped out to Charlton Athletic on loan for the start of the following campaign; netting twice in 20 matches for the Addicks in the third tier before Keane was given the axe by the Town hierarchy in the January.

Roy Keane sacking gives Martin second chance in Suffolk

A clean slate was exactly what the winger needed to resurrect his career in Suffolk, and set about earning himself a recall to the team under new boss Paul Jewell, as he finished the season as something of a regular under the former Wigan Athletic manager.

The Ipswich Town team of then was a far cry from the promotion-chasers of today though, with all of Martin’s seasons at the club culminating in a finishing between 13th and 15th in the Championship, with the sense of apathy seeming to grow with every passing week in East Anglia.

Martin’s performances wouldn’t have been doing much to change matters, with goals few and far between for one of the side’s key attacking threats, while his wing play would often frustrate fans with mazy runs lacking in end product.

When you are picking up more red cards in a season than goals scored you know you aren’t doing your job right as a winger, and that’s how the former Manchester United man’s tenure ended in Suffolk; with the 2012/13 campaign seeing him fail to trouble the scorers throughout the season.

A dismissal for violent conduct against Nottingham Forest was all he head to show for his final campaign in a blue shirt, and there won’t have been too may disappointed souls when the news was announced that he was off to Millwall the following season.

And so the slow descent through the EFL began; with his time at The Den followed by time at Northampton Town, Gillingham and Exeter City, before he called it a day on a somewhat underwhelming career as a professional footballer.

Spells at Ebbsfleet, Dover Athletic and Ramsgate all followed as he began winding down as the legs got older, with the latter still utilising the 37-year-old in the Isthmian League South East Division - the fourth tier of the non-league game.

Keen-eyed fans may have seen the former Town man pop up in the second round of the FA Cup this season, as the Rams faced AFC Wimbledon at the Cherry Red Records Stadium, with the Dons running out 5-0 winners.

Ipswich supporters will still be puzzled over Martin’s time at the club; with so much promise resulting in such little output, with the former ex-Manchester United man failing to really make an impact despite his four years at the club.