Mick McCarthy reckoned his Ipswich Town talisman was "excellent" - he bagged 45 goals before controversial exit | OneFootball

David McGoldrick was an excellent servant to Ipswich Town before his controversial exit in 2018

After coming through the ranks at Southampton, David McGoldrick struggled to find a permanent home, being sent on loan almost every season, but a loan move to Ipswich Town in January 2013 changed the course of his career.

Despite only being 25, when he joined Ipswich, it was the eighth club he'd played for in his senior career, and McGoldrick was starting to run the risk of becoming an EFL journeyman.

However, an impressive loan spell with the Tractor Boys during the second half of the 2012/13 campaign saw manager Mick McCarthy reward him with a permanent deal that summer, bringing his difficult stay with Nottingham Forest to an end, and changing the trajectory of his career.

The Republic of Ireland international would stay at Portman Road for the next five years, leaving in the summer of 2018 in controversial circumstances after McCarthy had departed, and it's fair to say that the pair enjoyed a good working relationship.

Mick McCarthy reckoned David McGoldrick was "excellent" for Ipswich Town

McGoldrick's first permanent season at Portman Road was a particularly fruitful one, and he bagged 16 goals in 34 games across all competitions, despite missing a large chunk of the season through injury.

On the 1st February 2014, McGoldrick scored Ipswich's only goal of the game as they defeated Bolton Wanderers 1-0, taking his tally to 15 for the season, an impressive feat given how relatively early it was in the season, and it was the most goals an Ipswich player had scored in one season since Alan Lee's tally of 17 during the 2006/07 campaign.

McGoldrick suffered a season-ending injury two weeks later meaning he was unable to surpass Lee's tally, but he almost certainly would have had it not been for the injury.

Boss McCarthy was clearly delighted that his decision to sign the striker had been vindicated, and he was full of praise for him after his 15th goal of the 2013/14 campaign.

Speaking to BBC Sport, McCarthy said: "It's fantastic - a really good haul for him.

"He's been our talisman in games, hasn't he, with his bit of quality and goals? He's been excellent."

McCarthy was right, McGoldrick had been excellent since he joined the club, and while the next couple of seasons weren't quite as fruitful with goal returns of seven, five, five and eight in the following few seasons, you could always rely on the Irishman to chip in with some important goals, and it was clear that his manager liked him.

However, both McCarthy and McGoldrick would leave Ipswich Town controversially in 2018. It was announced that after nearly six years, McCarthy would leave when his contract expired at the end of the season, but after a 1-0 win over Barnsley in April, he departed the club, prior to the season finishing.

Paul Hurst subsequently took over, and decided he didn't want to retain McGoldrick, who saw his deal expire that summer, and the Irishman departed on a free transfer, eventually joining Sheffield United, where he helped fire the Blades to Premier League promotion.

It proved a poor call from Hurst, and it was a controversial decision the club came to regret as, 12 months later, McGoldrick was in the Premier League whilst Ipswich were in League One.

David McGoldrick and Mick McCarthy continued to work together after leaving Ipswich Town

McGoldrick had been playing for the Republic of Ireland since 2014, but he would have been delighted to see his former Ipswich boss McCarthy become manager in 2018 after leaving Portman Road.

It was a twist of fate that the pair continued to work together on the international stage despite both leaving Ipswich Town, and McGoldrick enjoyed his best spell as an international footballer under McCarthy, which wouldn't have been a surprise.

He scored his one and only goal for the Republic of Ireland against Georgia in September 2019, before being named the FAI Senior International Player of the Year for 2019.

He retired from international duty in 2020, shortly after McCarthy had left to be replaced by Stephen Kenny, but it's clear that the pair worked well together.

Now 36, McGoldrick's days of playing in the Championship are over, but he's still going strong at EFL level, playing for boyhood club Notts County, where he's still a prolific goalscorer.

His best days have arguably come since leaving Ipswich Town six years ago, and his controversial exit was surely a poor move from the club in hindsight.