Ipswich manager Paul Hurst has heaped praise on Everton loanee Matthew Pennington, despite his side losing to league leaders Leeds on Wednesday night.
The 2-0 defeat leaves Ipswich rooted at the bottom of the league but Hurst still found something positive in Pennington.
Talking to the official Ipswich site he said, “Matt Pennington was the standout player for us tonight against a club he was on loan at last year.
“He was on the front foot, defended extremely well, picked out some good passes and can be pleased with his performance.”
COMMENTARY
We bet Pennington wished he was back on loan at Leeds this season after spending last season at Elland Road. He’s finding things a bit tougher at Ipswich and things got no better last night as a dominant Leeds team blew them away. It’s troubling times for Ipswich – rock bottom of the Championship and with just one win in 14 games. Pennington can hold his head up high though. He has played eight games since his move on deadline day and is putting in consistent, solid performances – ironically, probably better than he was at Leeds last year. The 24-year-old might have found his level though. He signed a new contract with Everton that keeps him at Goodison until 2021 but we just can’t see him reaching the level necessary to force his way into the first-team. A permanent move could well be his best bet in the summer and if he can help keep Ipswich up, he might have found a new home there.