Wickham's Ipswich return looks unlikely

Despite rumours to the contrary, it looks unlikely that Sunderland striker Connor Wickham will return to Ipswich on-loan this season.

The former Ipswich prospect, who cost Sunderland an initial £8m 14 months ago, has failed to make much impact at the Stadium of Light during his first season at the club.

A combination of injury and limited impact saw the 19 year-old forward make just five Premier League starts for Martin O'Neill last season, scoring just the once for the Black Cats.

This summer, the England U21 international has been linked with a return to Portman Road on-loan, however Town boss Paul Jewell has conceded that that is unlikely to happen.

Speaking to BBC Sport, Jewell said:

'I think we've got first call on Connor if he becomes a loan.

'I also think we've got to pay three quarters of his wages and we haven't got that type of money,' confirmed Jewell.

Until Sunderland can bring in a striker, a loan move anywhere seems unlikely as it would leave O'Neill with just Fraizer Campbell and Ji Dong-Won up top.

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