Man-of-the-moment Liam Delap has admitted that his loan at Stoke City did not go to plan… but feels it helped make him the Premier League striker he is today.

The son of Stoke legend Rory Delap was on loan at the bet365 Stadium for the first-half of the 2022/23 season, but when things did not go to plan he was recalled by Manchester City and sent to Preston instead, where he teamed up with one Tom Cannon.

The 21-year-old then spent time at Hull City before being snapped up in a £20m deal by Ipswich Town last summer - and has since gone on to bag eight top-flight goals in 19 appearances for the Tractor Boys and attract reported £50m transfer attention from the likes of Chelsea and Tottenham.

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But reflecting on his emergence - and those early days at Stoke and Preston - Delap told Sky Sports: "As a player there are always going to be bumps in the road. I probably learned that I had to go somewhere which suited me. A couple of times I didn't really suit the way teams played and I found it difficult. Last season was a lot better and I chose really well there - at Hull - which helped me a lot.

“The manager there was really good and helped me improve as a player. I was still very young when I went to Stoke and Preston. They (the loans) obviously didn't go as well as I wanted them to, but it was an incredible experience and I was very grateful I got to do that. I learned more in that year than I (ever) have.

“It taught me a lot about how to go about things and I made more of a decision then, when I went to Hull, about looking into and doing more research on where I want to go - and what would be best for me. That is probably what helped at Hull and it went a lot better there."

In his short time at Stoke, Delap played under three managers - Michael O'Neill, interim boss Dean Holden and Alex Neil - but still managed to score three times in 22 appearances before heading to Preston, where he was overshadowed by fellow loan striker Cannon, a more successful loan forward for the Potters.

Then followed Hull and an eight-goal haul in 31 appearances to alert promotion-bound Ipswich of his potential.

"When I joined here I knew that the manager (Kieran McKenna) and everyone here at the club was going to improve me and help me as a player,” said Delap. “Probably, even more than I imagined. I seem to have settled in really well and started the season really well.

“As a team we look really strong and we've been getting better week-by-week, so hopefully I can just continue to improve and keep putting in the performances. I have had experience now in men's football and learned a lot.

“I had my first two loans which probably didn't go as well as I wanted them to. But, I think I probably learned more in those tough stages than I have when things have gone well. That was the most important thing, to find somewhere that suited me. I knew I could get the best out of myself and the manager and his staff have helped me do that."