The rarely seen Ipswich Town duo who may need to step up amid George Hirst news | OneFootball

It has been an outstanding season for Ipswich Town in the Championship so far.

The Tractor Boys were promoted from League One last season, and they have seamlessly made the step-up to the second tier, spending much of the campaign in the automatic promotion places.

However, it has been a tough few weeks for Ipswich, and they are without a win in their last five league games, although they did secure a 3-1 win over League Two side AFC Wimbledon at Plough Lane in the FA Cup third round on Saturday.

Despite their recent decline in form, Kieran McKenna's side remain second in the table, three points clear of third-placed Southampton, and they are back in action when they host Sunderland at Portman Road on Saturday.

George Hirst injury

However, Ipswich have suffered a huge blow with the news that striker George Hirst is set for an extended spell on the sidelines with a hamstring injury.

McKenna confirmed that Hirst will be unavailable until the latter part of the season after undergoing surgery, and he admitted that his absence will accelerate the club's search for a striker in the January transfer window.

"George is seeing a surgeon this week for a repair to a rupture to his hamstring. It will be the very, very back end of the season before he will be eligible," McKenna told the East Anglian Daily Times.

"We wanted to add a goalscorer (in the January transfer window) before George's injury. Now he's ruled out for a large majority of the season that increases that importance."

Ipswich Town transfer latest

Journalist Alan Nixon claims the Tractor Boys could spend up to £3 million on a striker in January, with the club willing to pay up to £15,000 per week in wages.

According to the East Anglian Daily Times, the Tractor Boys have enquired about Fulham striker Jay Stansfield, who is currently on loan at Birmingham.

However, new Blues manager Tony Mowbray has an excellent reputation for developing young players, which could convince the Cottagers to allow Stansfield to remain at St Andrew's, while Ipswich also face competition from Sunderland for his signature.

, but a number of other Championship clubs are keen on the Welsh international, including Cardiff City, Sunderland, Leeds United and Norwich City.

With no guarantees that a striker will be brought in early in the window, the Tractor Boys will need Kayden Jackson and Freddie Ladapo to step up over the coming weeks.

Kayden Jackson and Freddie Ladapo are capable

Hirst played an integral role in Ipswich's promotion last season after joining the club on loan from Leicester City in January, and his fine form has continued since his permanent move to Portman Road this summer.

The 24-year-old scored six goals and provided seven assists in 26 appearances in all competitions prior to sustaining his injury, and he will certainly be missed.

McKenna said that Hirst's injury was a blow to his side, but he backed the club's other strikers to deliver.

"It's not easy to step into those shoes, but we have strikers here who have done well for us in cup competitions and have been training well," he told the East Anglian Daily Times last month.

However, Ipswich have failed to score in their last two league games against Queens Park Rangers and Stoke City, with both Ladapo and Jackson being given an opportunity in the central striker role.

Ladapo scored 21 goals for the Tractor Boys last season, and he has proven to be a useful player to have in the squad this campaign, netting four times and registering one assist in 22 appearances.

Jackson featured in a wide role in the first half of last season before his game time became limited after the arrival of Hirst and Nathan Broadhead in January, and he has scored two goals and provided three assists in 23 appearances this campaign, with most of his minutes coming from the bench.

Both are capable performers at Championship level, but there are question marks over whether they would be able to provide the goals to fire Ipswich to promotion.

With his side going through a difficult spell, and uncertainty over when the club will recruit a new striker, McKenna desperately needs Ladapo and Jackson to contribute.

Ipswich face sixth-placed Sunderland and leaders Leicester in the next two games, and they cannot afford to drop more points, particularly with in-form Southampton continuing to close the gap.

It remains to be seen whether McKenna will play Ladapo or Jackson against the Black Cats this weekend, but it is undoubtedly a huge chance for the pair to stake a claim for a regular place in the team.