three attackers If George Hirst’s ailment is significant, Ipswich Town should be their goal in January.

After Hirst hurt his hamstring against Leicester on Boxing Day, Ipswich might have needed a new attacker tenfold.

This season, Ipswich Town has faced very few significant injury concerns because all of their key players have been relatively healthy. This has contributed to their outstanding start to the 2023–24 season.

George Hirst, a striker with 12 goals in the Championship, hobbled out against Leicester City on Boxing Day with what appeared to be a hamstring injury, dealing Kieran McKenna a fresh blow.

McKenna has confirmed that the 24-year-old’s injury is “serious.” Although a scan next week will establish how long he is out, it appears that Hirst’s absence could last months, in which case the January transfer window will need to be used to make necessary arrangements.

Given that Jay Stansfield, a loanee from Birmingham, was already mentioned before to Hirst’s injury, let’s examine THREE other strikers that Town may consider targeting in an effort to replace Hirst going forward.

Marshall Callum

A loan berth has opened at Portman Road with Dane Scarlett returning to Tottenham following his recall by Ange Postecoglou for striker cover. This could be the best course of action for McKenna and his recruitment team in the short term.

Although there won’t be many strikers available to sign, particularly on loan, Marshall might be the rare gem who just needs to play for the first team.

With 19 goals in 13 games for West Ham’s under-21 team, the teenager from Northern Ireland is scoring goals for joy and may be ready to transition to men’s football.

It appears that David Moyes will not be utilizing him in this season.

Mark O’Mahony

O’Mahony is another youthful loan option. Given enough time to grow, he has the potential to be the next young player to make it into the Brighton first team.

Since moving from Cork City to the Seagulls in January 2023, the 18-year-old has naturally been seeking to imitate his fellow Irishman Evan Ferguson, who has scored nine goals in as many Premier League 2 games for the Seagulls’ under-21 team this season.

O’Mahony is obviously on Roberto De Zerbi’s mind after making a few appearances on the bench in the Premier League proper, but he could use a short-term loan arrangement, and this one would be ideal for him.

Lawrence Shankland

Shankland might be persuaded to go from Scotland to the Premier League if Arsenal decides to spend much on a long-term replacement for Hirst.

With roughly a year and a half remaining on his Hearts contract, the 28-year-old, who has seven caps for Scotland, is still very productive for the Edinburgh team. Since returning home from Belgium in 2022, he has scored 44 goals in 73 appearances across all domestic and European competitions.

Shankland would come at a cost of several million pounds, but if Ipswich steps up their hunt for an assailant, he might be worth it.