Ipswich Town midfielder Sam Morsy has heaped praise on the attitude of his team-mate Tyreeq Bakinson after Nigel Pearson's damning criticism earlier this year.
The midfielder is currently on loan with the League One side until the end of the season with the option to make it permanent should Bakinson impress at Portman Road. He left Ashton Gate in January rather abruptly which initially raised eyebrows, especially after signing a contract extension two months prior. City manager Pearson then blasted his attitude in a press conference when explaining his departure.
Pearson didn't hold back in his comments and said: "As far as I'm concerned, and I've said it before, if players don't want to be here they can go. I'm not bothered. He's a player who unfortunately just wants to play on his own terms. It's not something I particularly want so he can go.
"I'm not wasting energy on negativity, I don't invest time on that, I'm not just saying it. If you ask people who work with me they'll say exactly the same thing, I don't waste energy on negativity, it drives me mad.
"If people aren't in the side, I want them to work hard to get there and I want people who are in the side to work hard to stay there. I don't want people that when the going gets tough, they want to go somewhere else, I'm not interested.
"The fact that I am prepared to say, 'yeah, let the deal go ahead' because actually, people around the place who sap the energy out of other people is not as valuable as having people here who want to be playing."
However, those comments were not echoed by Morsy who has built a solid partnership in the middle of the park with Bakinson. Following a victory over Plymouth over the weekend, Morsy specifically pointed out his attitude on two occasions as one of his best traits and his willingness to continue learning.
Reported by Ipswich's official site, Morsy said: "Ty is a great kid. He's a young lad but he is learning. He's a really good player but what has really impressed me is his attitude to learn.
"I have a really good relationship with him and he is improving every game. He's a player that wants to learn and he takes advice on board. He has real qualities to his game and he has a fantastic attitude. Everyone is enjoying having him here."
Injuries in midfield for Ipswich have provided Bakinson the opportunity to earn a regular run of minutes in the side and he has gone on to play 90 minutes in their last four matches.
Whether they take up the opportunity to sign Bakinson permanently remains to be seen but it seems increasingly likely that his future at BS3 is all but over unless something dramatic develops. He has made 12 League One appearances in total, scoring one goal but it seems the jury is still very much out on his performances so far.
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