West Brom v Ipswich: Tractor Boys' sensational start is no surprise to Carlos Corberan

Coach Kieran McKenna has won plaudits across the board for an expansive style of football.

He helped the Portman Road side to promotion in his first full season after underwhelming finishes of 11th, twice, and ninth in the previous three seasons.

Ipswich were last summer quietly fancied to fare well on their return to the second tier, but few would have predicted them to trail top spot on goal difference at this stage.

As a result, they promise to be one of Albion’s sterner tests of the season so far when the hosts resume their Championship campaign at The Hawthorns tomorrow evening.

Corberan said of the contest: “I think they are playing really, really well, some very good football. They have a lot of stability in the things that they do. I think the coach has worked 100 games with his team and it seems they have a lot of stability that the coach has been able to develop in the squad.

“It is a very good idea, for me, for football. I like the things they do in attack a lot, and in defence too. So at the end, I don’t think it’s a coincidence that they are in this position – it’s the consequence of good things.”

McKenna took charge after leaving Manchester United, where he was first-team coach, in December 2021. He turned around the Tractor Boys’ 2021/22 campaign but was unable to salvage a play-off spot. His first full season, though, brought promotion.

Corberan admits Ipswich’s recruitment has caught his eye.

Left-back Leif Davis is one of the division’s most eye-catching full-backs and comfortably led the League One assist chart last season. He is following suit this term after changing his loan from Leeds – where he worked under Corberan – into a permanent deal.

The Baggies head coach is also well aware of the threat posed by 24-year-old striker George Hirst and Chelsea loan winger Omari Hutchinson, who also joined Albion on loan in January.

“They make a good recruitment of players,” he added. “I was working for example with (Leif) Davis, who was working the Premier League with Leeds.

“And then they recruited him a couple of years ago, on loan and them as a permanent.

“Then the striker (Hirst), as soon as I arrived to England I remember that he was in Sheffield Wednesday, he was one of the important players and (young) talents of the country, he was playing in the national team under-20s and one of the injuries stopped his growing.

“At this club he has found his level as one of the most important strikers. They have added another talent player like Hutchinson, someone that we know, or the right-back on loan from Manchester United (Brandon Williams). So they have been clever to keep a good group of players where they saw stability and they can win games with the quality they have.”