How Kieran McKenna pushed Sam Morsy to achieve Premier League dream

The Ipswich captain on rising through the divisions, playing for Egypt with Mo Salah and how Kieran McKenna has transformed the club

Ipswich manager Kieran McKenna and Sam Morsy celebrate after the team's Championship victory

Sam Morsy is thinking back to his first match for Port Vale Under-18s and sees no need to pull punches. He had just been released by Wolves, the shock tempered by knowing deep down that his attitude was simply not right, and a career would hinge on taking this second chance.

“A disaster,” he says. “I came off after 60 minutes, worst player on the pitch, just a complete culture shock. I had the mentality of ‘I’ve just come from Wolves, I’ll be the best player here’. My last game had been against Manchester United, now we were playing Morecambe. It was a rude awakening: this is what football looks like. And I thought: ‘Whoa, OK, I need to sort myself out now if I’m going to be a footballer.”