Dara O’Shea, a defender for Ipswich Town, believes the team is among the ‘hardest-working’ in the league, as they prepare to face Newcastle United. Last season, the Tractor Boys were promoted from the Championship, alongside Leicester City and Southampton.

Kieran McKenna has led the Suffolk team from League One to the top division after moving to Portman Road. Before joining his current team, he formerly coached at Tottenham Hotspur and Manchester United.

In an interview with the Independent, O’Shea stated that football is a dichotomous sport. It can be rewarding when you play well and challenging when you don’t. There is no middle ground. I had that at Burnley at the start of last season, when I was removed from the team and not talked to. You are merely looking for that cause.

“So that piece of clarity, even if it requires digging, is something you need at times. You need to know where you stand, and I believe he’s really excellent at it. He’s been there for me. Communication is definitely essential in football in order to perform at your best. I usually advise you should have a clear mind and know exactly what you need.

“We’ve participated in every game. And look, I’ve been on the opposite end at Burnley, when I was annihilated by teams in the opening 20-30 minutes. But here, it’s quite different, and that emotion inside the group, even if we don’t have the points to show for it, has caused a lot of problems for the team. After the game, other players say, ‘you boys are tough to play against’. We’re one of the hardest working teams in the league, and I don’t think other teams will like playing against us this season.”

He continued, “I enjoy the battle the most. As a player, my approach is simple: I want to win my battle and not let others outperform me. I’ve got that a lot in recent weeks, when we’ve gone a little man to man and whatnot.”

Ipswich recruited O’Shea in the summer to strengthen their defense. The Republic of Ireland international, who has 32 caps for his country, has appeared in 14 games in all competitions this season, 13 of which have been in the league.

He broke into West Brom’s first team as a youth, following loan spells at  . The centre-back played 107 games for the Baggies and scored seven goals from the back.

Burnley signed him in 2023, and he spent just over a year with the Clarets. He scored five goals in 37 matches under former Newcastle head coach Vincent Kompany before taking on new challenges.