George Hirst explains why he left Leicester City to join Ipswich Town | OneFootball

Ipswich Town have completed the signing of striker George Hirst from Leicester City.

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The 24-year-old originally came through the ranks at Sheffield Wednesday, but at 19 years old, he left the Owls to join Belgian side OH Leuven.

He only stayed at the club for a season, making 22 appearances in Belgium, scoring three goals and registering five assists.

Hirst made a return to England in 2019 when he signed for Leicester and spent the first season at the club in their development squad.

In the 2020/21 campaign, he joined Rotherham United on loan, with the following campaign seeing him join Portsmouth for another temporary spell away from the King Power stadium.

Then, during last season just gone, Hirst was sent to Blackburn Rovers, where he played 11 times without scoring before he was recalled and instead sent to Ipswich.

His performances improved dramatically at Portman Road, where he scored seven goals and provided two assists in 23 games, helping guide them to a second-place finish and return to the Championship.

The Tractor Boys have returned to the second tier after a four-year absence, securing an automatic promotion spot having never reached the play-offs in their three previous seasons at League One level.

Since then, Ipswich have begun work on improving their squad for the upcoming season in the league above, signing three players in the form of Jack Taylor (Peterborough United), Henry Gray (Waterside Karori), and Cieran Slicker (Manchester City).

Hirst became signing number four in making a permanent return to Ipswich, signing on a four-year deal to reunite with Kieran McKenna for a reported fee of around £1.5 million.

Hirst is the son of former Barnsley, Sheffield Wednesday, Southampton, and England striker David Hirst.

What has George Hirst said since leaving Leicester for Ipswich?

Speaking via an interview on the club's Twitter account, Hirst summed up his feelings of being at "home" with Ipswich, which prompted the move from Leicester, he said: "Ipswich has felt like home for the last six months to be fair and that’s a big part of why I wanted to come back here so much.

"The last few months of last season were massive for me, doing what we did as a team, and that was something I wanted to carry on being a part of for sure.

"I got that feeling of being at home here - it was probably a feeling I've not had anywhere else like I've had it here. "The boys from the get go were nothing short of brilliant with me, everyone just made me feel at home. "The reception I got from the fans, players and staff here was brilliant, so I’m delighted to be back here and I’m looking forward to the challenge of the Championship. "The manager improved my game massively and he’s probably the best I’ve worked with, both him and his staff, and it helped my development no end. Once you have got that taste you don’t want to go back.

"They made me feel like I could do anything. He has been absolutely amazing for me – long may it continue."

Is George Hirst a good signing for Ipswich?

Hirst needs to settle somewhere, given his age now. He needed a permanent home.

Ipswich and McKenna is a perfect place for him, not only due to the relationships formed already at the club, but because of McKenna's development of many of Ipswich's players over the last few seasons.

He's evidently talented and is in the right environment to improve even further. He should be another solid, low-risk addition to their dressing room, who is on an upward trajectory, much like the club are. Both have the propensity to improve further and major potential.