Conor Grant to go on season-long loan with Ipswich Town

Everton’s 21-year-old midfielder Conor Grant will join Championship side Ipswich Town on loan until June 30, 2017, according to the Blues Twitter account. He had spent the pre-season with EFC’s senior team, but was not given a squad number when they were released on Tuesday.

Grant is an Everton Academy graduate who joined the club as a 13-year-old in 2008. However, he is yet to feature for the senior squad and has only been named on the bench once, during a 2014 Europa League game against FC Krasnodar.

This will be his third loan period in as many seasons. The second half of his 2014/15 season was spent with Motherwell in Scotland, where he scored one goal in 13 appearances. Last year, he spent nearly the entire campaign with League One’s Doncaster Rovers, playing 22 games and netting four times. In between loan time, Grant has made 12 appearances for the Everton’s U21s and scored one goal.

The Fazakerley native’s contract with Everton runs until the summer of 2018, but it may prove difficult for him to force his way into the senior side before then. His time with Ipswich will be crucial for him. As a Championship team, they are just one level below the Premier League. If he can start there on a regular basis, he may be capable of becoming a squad player with the Toffees.