With relegation back into the Championship already confirmed, Ipswich Town could be forgiven for getting stuck into their plans for the summer with three matches of the season still to play.

A creditable 2-2 draw with Everton at Goodison Park will have lifted the spirits of Kieran McKenna's side ahead of winnable fixtures against Brentford, Leicester and West Ham over the remainder of their run-in.

And while ultimately miles behind even the cluster of underachievers sitting in the five or so spots above the bottom three, the Tractor Boys can take far more from their top-flight campaign than the other relegated sides, Leicester and Southampton.

Following back-to-back promotions, the leap to the top-flight was always going to be sizable, but Nathan Broadhead and Wes Burns will have benefited immensely from operating against some of the best in the business.

Having contributed 28 goals across his first three seasons at the club in the English Football League (EFL), winger Burns was a key figure from the outset in the top-flight, although a knee injury has kept him out since early February.

Broadhead, on the other hand, required far more patience, having had to wait until the last day of November to make his first Premier League appearance for the club following a spell out with a hamstring injury.

He scored a crucial opener as Ipswich beat Bournemouth 2-1 last month to secure what remains his side's only League win in 2025 so far.

But he has missed three successive matches after another injury setback in April and both Broadhead and Burns look set to be unavailable for the rest of the league season - and potentially Wales' World Cup qualifying double header with Liechtenstein and Belgium in early June.

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The summer will hopefully provide the Welsh duo with a much-needed opportunity to recharge, reflect, and return to full fitness. 

And a familiar face can be the perfect example for the pair to go again and hit peak levels back in the second tier next season.

Dan James was thrust into the limelight far earlier than originally planned by Ole Gunnar Solskjær at Manchester United before going on to join Leeds United just two years after moving to Old Trafford from Swansea City.

His struggles continued at Elland Road though before an, at times, frustrating loan spell with Fulham followed.

But as the winger grew more experienced and developed his game, he became an increasingly potent weapon for both club and country.

Indeed, James was recently named in the Championship Team of the Season and also received a nomination for the second tier's Player of the Season award following a campaign in which he scored 12 goals and registered nine assists in the league.

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The rapid winger's career has been far from plain sailing since a meteoric rise under Graham Potter at Swansea, but Broadhead and Burns can certainly take heart from their Welsh team-mate's recent success as they, too, bid to secure a return to the top-flight next time around.

From the international perspective, both have work to do to convince Craig Bellamy they are worthy of regular spots in the team.

Both have featured just twice in eight games under the manager so far, and with the World Cup little more than a year away, time is of the essence when it comes to forcing their way up the pecking order in time to play a role in getting Wales to a second successive World Cup.

But in fellow Welsh attacker James, Burns and Broadhead have the perfect blueprint to follow as they look to reignite their careers in the Championship.

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