Ipswich Town boss Kieran McKenna admits the club's injury issues are proving a challenge - and insists the Blues will look to strengthen again in the January transfer window.

Town have had some really bad luck with injuries so far this Premier League season, with stats showing they're second only to Brighton in terms of days lost to injuries (530 pre-Wolves).

Summer signing Chiedozie Ogbene is set to miss the rest of the season with an Achilles tear, while the likes of key defender Axel Tuanzebe (hamstring) and striker George Hirst (knee) are also long-term absentees.

Summer signing Chieo Ogbene is out for the season with an Achilles tear (Image: PA) Other key summer signings including defenders Jacob Greaves (hamstring) and Ben Johnson (thigh), plus midfield star Kalvin Phillips (ankle) have missed multiple games.

All told, an incredible 18 members of Town's 27-man first team squad have battled an injury at some point already this campaign.

The Blues were already trying to defy huge odds by staying in the Premier League, and a raft of injuries is certainly an extra wrinkle they could do without as they try to once more achieve the improbable.

Axel Tuanzebe missed time after a freak thumb injury before suffering a hamstring injury which will keep him out long-term (Image: Ross Halls) McKenna said: "It's been a challenge. We've not been able to settle a team.

"Certainly on the right side at the moment we feel the loss of Axel (Tuanzebe) and Chieo (Ogbene). It's such an important side of the team for us.

"The physicality that those two bring in the most physical league in the world in the most physical month of the season, we feel their loss.

"There's been some other disruption, but it is what it is. We focus on the players that we've got.

"The players that have come into the team generally come in and do well in this environment. Jack Taylor was a good example (against Bournemouth).

"We'd liked to have had better availability over the course of the season, but we're trying to deal with that the best we can and adapt as best we can.

"I think, in general, the players are doing a pretty good job of that."

George Hirst is another player to be missing for an extended period through injury (Image: Ross Halls) Over the last two seasons, Town's bench has been a major strength. The team's starters - especially the four forward players - could give their all for 60-70 minutes and then make way for an arsenal of attacking options to come off the bench and finish the job.

But in the Premier League, Town's relative lack of strength in depth has been apparent.

While their foes can bring on substitute stars worth millions of pounds, Town's current back-up striker, Ali Al-Hamadi, for example, was playing in League Two earlier this year.

And that lack of depth is only exacerbated by the injury problems the club is facing.

The January transfer window has proved key to the Blues over both the last two promotion seasons, and it looks set to be huge again as the club battle to stay in the Premier League against the odds.

And McKenna says the club will certainly be looking to add  to their forward options and depth when the window opens on January 1.

McKenna admits the raft of injuries have been 'a challenge' (Image: Ross Halls) "Even with everybody fit our subs bench wouldn't look like other subs benches in terms of Premier League experience," the Town boss insisted.

"Having lots of forwards available to rotate is really, really important for us and was a big part of our success over the last couple of seasons.

"We want to be at a full quota with those as often as we can and we want to make those positions as strong as we can.

"We tried to make them stronger in the summer window and we need to make them stronger in the January window.

"We've been in so many games, been in so many winning positions, been competitive so often, and so many of those sort of games are very often going to be decided off the bench.

"We need the starting 11 to be as strong as it can and we need the bench to be as strong as it possibly can too. That's what we're working towards."