Ipswich Town handed significant player boost in blow to Leeds and Southampton | OneFootball

Ipswich Town have had an incredible year in 2023, which has seen the club gain promotion from League One after four attempts before continuing their momentum, and thus far taking the Championship by storm.

Kieran McKenna's side's journey in recent months has been well-documented, as the Tractor Boys' current standing in the table between the trio of sides relegated from last season's Premier League means that Ipswich will be in the thick of a potential four-way promotion race in the second half of the season.

After two games against promotion rivals Leeds United and Leicester City which saw the East Anglian side accumulate one point from six, outsiders have started to question whether such form can be maintained for the following five months, but from an Ipswich perspective, their chances of returning to a consistent run of victories have been boosted by significant developments at Portman Road.

In January, not only do managers across the EFL have the distraction of the upcoming transfer window to contend with, but this year there is the added pressure of dealing with squad balance amid the upcoming African Cup of Nations tournament which begins on January 14th.

Egypt are the most successful nation in the history of the tournament, winning it on no less than seven occasions, as well as coming runners-up three times.

The prospect of achieving an eighth title would no doubt excite any player with a chance of being called up to the national squad. However, Ipswich have come ahead of such duties for club captain Sam Morsy, according to an exclusive report by the East Anglian Daily Times.

The report states that the 32-year-old central midfielder has revealed his stance to the Egyptian FA, as he would rather play a pivotal role in Ipswich's promotion chances over a crucial period in January - which includes the reverse fixture against leaders Leicester City - instead of playing a small part in Egypt's run in the tournament which begins on January 14th against Mozambique.

Sam Morsy's 2023/24 season so far

Whilst Town's forward players have so often grabbed the headlines for their respective exploits in the opening period of the season, Morsy's influence cannot be overlooked, as the former Wigan Athletic man has featured in all but one Championship game so far this season.

However, he will miss the upcoming fixture with Queens Park Rangers after receiving a one-game suspension and £5,000 fine for an incident which occured in Town's 2-0 win at Middlesbrough on 9th December for breaching the FA's E3.1 rule.

Morsy stance a relief for Ipswich boss but bad news for Leeds and Southampton

Regardless of the suspension, the news that Morsy will be available for club selection as Ipswich are involved in four Championship games in between the opening game of AFCON and the final on February 11th.

Prior to the announcement, McKenna stated that if the midfielder was to commit to Egypt, it would make his planning for the upcoming transfer window a "bit more difficult".

Now he can put such worries to bed and hope that Ipswich can regain their momentum in the weeks to come, which begins with the clash against the West London outfit at Portman Road on Friday night.

What's good for McKenna is, without doubt, bad for promotion rivals Leeds United and Southampton, who will have been hoping to capitalise on his exit as they bid to reel them in.