Ipswich Town boss outlines Jeremy Sarmiento 'bonus' that West Brom didn't have as Brighton loanee plan revealed

The Brighton youngster spent the first half of the season on loan at the Baggies, scoring two goals in 21 appearances in all competitions, before being recalled by the Premier League side at the turn of the year.

The 21-year-old is now spending the second half of the campaign with Premier League hopefuls, Ipswich, who sit second in the Championship with 20 league games remaining.

Now, Tractor Boys manager McKenna has expressed his satisfaction that the Ecuadorian international, who started six games in a row for West Brom between November and December – is “game-ready”.

When asked if it was a plus that Sarmiento had enjoyed more game time recently at West Brom, McKenna told Ipswich’s website: “Yes, especially lately. He had limited minutes at the start and he had an injury in there as well. But throughout December, he had a really good run of games.

“So we feel he comes to us in a good position physically and with a better understanding of the league than he would have had at the start of the season. So that's a bonus. And I think that's always one of the biggest things on your checklist for signings in January is players who are game-ready and can hopefully help your group in the short term.”

The former Benfica youngster, who joined Brighton in 2021, is able to play on either wing and in the number 10 role; such is his attacking versatility.

Following his switch to Portman Road, McKenna has explained what is in store for the ex-Charlton Athletic academy star, who had the longest run of consecutive starts in his senior career at the Baggies this term, as they try to secure an automatic promotion spot from the Championship.

“I think he's, first of all, a really versatile attacker. He's played on the right-hand side, wide on the right-hand side as well, for Brighton last year. He’s played wide on the right-hand side throughout his youth career at Benfica. He's played as a wide left for Ecuador. He played mostly as a touchline wide left for West Brom. And he's played quite a bit as a number 10. So, of course, that versatility is a big asset for him and a big asset for us to utilise in the best way we think possible,” he said.

“As a player, he's technically a really, really high-level, fantastic manipulator of a ball, has really good one-v-one skills and has the ability to combine and beat opponents. And that's something that we really wanted to add to the squad. We have a fantastic range of attributes in the squad. Maybe, say, this time last year with Kyle Edwards, we had some of those qualities in the squad and we don't have quite so much of that this year.

“So that was a goal in the summer window as well, to add those qualities. Jeremy certainly adds that. And we feel like he'll be a really important member of the group. Of course, there are areas in his game for him to improve and develop and that's normal for any young player. The reason for going out on loan is to develop those qualities and we look to do that. But also, it would be about us trying to get him on the pitch in scenarios where he can use his best attributes, whether that be in either of the wide areas or in more central positions.”