Former Ipswich Town defender John McGreal has returned to the club in a coaching capacity.

The former centre-half, part of the Ipswich side which won promotion to the Premier League in 2000 and then went on to finish fifth in the top flight and qualify for Europe, has joined the club again to work with the Blues’ Under 23s and development squads.

The club say he will work alongside Under 23s boss Kieron Dyer, with a particular focus on ‘working with individual players alongside their development plans’.

McGreal coached at Colchester from 2009 to 2020, managing the U’s first-team from 2015 until his departure at the end of the 2019/20 campaign.

He then briefly managed Swindon Town during the summer but didn’t take charge of a game, leaving as a result of the League Two club’s turbulent ownership situation.

He’s been linked with jobs in League Two since, notably Stevenage, but has watched Ipswich training on a regular basis since Paul Cook’s appointment as manager in March and has attended a large number of the club’s games during that time.

Town’s director of football operations, Gary Probert, said: "We are delighted to welcome John to the club.

"His role will be supporting Kieron Dyer with the U23s, with a real focus on working with individual players alongside their development plans.

"John knows the club well and brings a wealth of experience to our setup."