Ipswich Town have released former Tottenham Hotspur youth Grant Ward.
According to a report in the East Anglian Daily Times, Ipswich Town have decided against offering Grant Ward a new contract and the former Tottenham Hotspur youth will leave on a free this summer.
The 24-year-old was once tipped to have a big future in the game. He joined the Tottenham Hotspur as a teenager and excelled in the academy before being sent out on loan for first-team experience.
Ward first moved to the MLS to join Chicago Fire, before later having spells at Coventry City and Rotherham United – making 40 Championship appearances for the latter and winning the Young Player of the Year award.
Ward’s success with the Millers prompted Tottenham to hand him a new contract extension. In the summer of 2016, the then 21-year-old took to Instagram to share his motivation to push on at Spurs.
The stage was set for Ward to impress during pre-season at Spurs as fellow midfielders Eric Dier, Dele Alli and Mousa Dembele were handed an extended rest following their participation at Euro 2016.
In a twist, though, Ward ended up leaving Tottenham to sign for Ipswich in a reported £600,000 deal. The Tractor Boys thought they struck a bargain, especially as the midfielder netted a 39-minute hat-trick on his league debut.
Ward, however, has since struggled to live up to the hype and after picking up a cruciate knee ligament injury last December, has been ruled out of action for up to a year.
Ipswich had the opportunity to extend Ward’s contract last summer when he entered the final 12 months of his deal. They opted against it, and now they have named him among 10 players they will release following their relegation to League One.
Ward will face a lonely task in his recovery from injury, and he may have to drop even further down the leagues for a club to take a chance on him with next season likely to be a complete write-off.
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