COLCHESTER United manager Aidy Boothroyd has confirmed that Ipswich Town's Owen Garvan did turn down an opportunity to join the high-flying League One club on loan.

Stuart Watson

By Stuart Watson

COLCHESTER United manager Aidy Boothroyd has confirmed that Ipswich Town's Owen Garvan did turn down an opportunity to join the high-flying League One club on loan.

Boothroyd had a loan bid for the out-of-favour midfielder accepted by Town boss Roy Keane last month, but the Republic of Ireland Under-21 captain rejected the move in favour of trying to win back his place at the struggling Championship club.

“It's fair to say I did enquire about Owen and Ipswich were prepared to let him go out on loan,” confirmed Boothroyd, who has made a six game unbeaten start to life as U's boss.

“He elected to stay and fight for his place and that's fine. I've not got an issue with that.

“Players have to make decisions and if I had a pound for every player that didn't sign for me at Watford I'd have probably bought this club rather than be manager of it!”

Garvan - who has made over 150 league and cup appearances for the Championship club - was dropped at the end of August following a 2-0 defeat to West Brom.

Keane said after that match that one or two of his players would never play for him again and Garvan has not even made the bench in the eight games that have followed.

Boothroyd has already attracted Championship players John-Joe O'Toole (Watford) and Kayode Odejayi (Barnsley) to the club on loan, as well as Danny Batth (Wolves) from the Premier League.

They have all thrived in a new environment and, following three successive home wins, Colchester are up to fourth in the table.

With the majority of Ipswich players enjoying an international break this weekend, Garvan will play for the Republic of Ireland U21s in his home town of Dublin against Georgia tonight, before moving south to Waterford where he will play against Switzerland next Tuesday night.

Boothroyd, whose side travel to Leyton Orient tomorrow, says he will not be going back in for the midfielder, but urged others in a similar position not to view his club as a backward step in their careers.

He said: “That ship (regarding Garvan) has now sailed, I'm not bothered about it and we'll move on.

“I don't see it (League One) as a step down, but more as a chance to jump onto a spring board that can take you a few steps further up.

“I'm not the sort of person who wants to stick around in League One all my life. I don't want to be in the Championship either really. I have got a reputation for being incredibly impatient and I want success very quickly.

“If players don't want to drop down to play with us then okay, that's fine. I want players that will take risks in their careers.”

- For more Ipswich Town news and a full Colchester United match preview, see tomorrow's EADT.