Ipswich Town boss Kieran McKenna urged to make key Conor Chaplin decision - He has "skillset no one else has" | OneFootball

The Town attacker hasn't had much time on the pitch in league matches this season.

This article is part of Football League World's 'Terrace Talk' series, which provides personal opinions from our FLW Fan Pundits regarding the latest breaking news, teams, players, managers, potential signings and more...

While Ipswich Town have had a relatively poor start to the season in front of goal, Conor Chaplin has been unable to find his way into Kieran McKenna's starting XI.

Across the Tractor Boys' first two games of the new Championship season, against promotion contenders Birmingham City and Southampton, they have only managed to get two shots on target.

Ipswich have been putting a lot of work into bringing in more attacking options this summer, with the departures of Liam Delap and, more recently, Omari Hutchinson, making the need for attacking reinforcements even stronger.

They have brought in Chuba Akpom on a loan deal from Ajax, who thrived a few seasons ago for Middlesbrough playing in a very similar position to Chaplin.

Given his limited involvement at the start of the new campaign - he has been on the pitch for less than 45 minutes so far in the league - the 28-year-old's future at Portman Road doesn't look like it will involve a ton of game time.

Kieran McKenna told to take Conor Chaplin action

One person who does believe that the former 20+ goal attacker should be more involved is Football League World's Ipswich fan pundit, Adam Wilkin.

He believes that Chaplin has a lot to offer Town but has just been a victim of his own injuries, and the fitness problems of others forcing McKenna to play in a way that doesn't suit him as much.

"I think Conor Chaplin has a skillset that no one else at the club has and is our most natural fit for the role behind the striker," Wilkin claimed.

"He's familiar with the pattern of play, and he was unfortunate in the Premier League season [with] where he was playing.

"He broke into the team and then got injured when he was hitting some form, so he didn't really get a chance to show what he could do in the Premier League.

"And then at the start of this season, because we've got injuries on the right-hand side, and [Chiedozie] Ogbene has been coming back up to fitness and [Wes] Burns still isn't fit, we've kind of changed the structure with two more dribbling wingers, which don't fit his skillset as much.

"We've been using [George] Hirst and [Sammie] Szmodics as a two that run in behind instead. I think it will very much be game-dependent this season.

"I think there'll be times when you'll want that Hirst and Szmodics linkup, but there'll be other times, which we've already seen in the Bromley cup game, that Chaplin and Ogbene can combine really nicely together. They both came on against Southampton and looked good as a pairing.

"So, like the last Championship season when McKenna had starters and finishers, I think different games will need different options, and I can see Chaplin getting a decent amount of game time in the side as either a finisher or a starter in some games where we'll look to focus the attacks on that right wing with a pacey winger in behind."

There is pressure on Conor Chaplin to deliver for Ipswich Town this season

It's a big year in general for Chaplin.

As one of the players who have been at Portman Road since their League One days, it's no surprise that he is a fan favourite.

There is a possibility that this could be his last season with the club, though, as his contract expires next summer.

Ipswich have pressure on them to go straight back up to the Premier League following their relegation, and if Chaplin is a big part of that, then there's no reason why the Tractor Boys won't look to keep hold of him beyond this season.

On the flip side, if his minutes remain limited, there's a good chance that he will be seen as an expendable part of McKenna's squad.