Flynn Dowes left out of Ipswich squad for Bristol Rovers cup clash

Ipswich midfielder Flynn Downes will miss the Carabao Cup first round visit of Bristol Rovers after being given time off to “clear his head” amid ongoing transfer speculation.

Town have rejected two recent offers from a Premier League club for Downes and manager Paul Lambert hopes the England Under-20 international will benefit from a short break before returning next week.

Oli Hawkins is among the summer signings hoping to make his Ipswich debut against Rovers while James Norwood and James Wilson could be in contention after returning to action following groin and calf problems respectively.

Teenage forward Armando Dobra is absent as he has been called up by Albania Under-21s for their European Championship qualifiers.

Bristol Rovers boss Ben Garner must decide who to start up front for their season opener following the sale of star striker Jonson Clarke-Harris to Peterborough.

Summer signing Jonah Ayunga is in contention, while fellow new arrival Sam Nicholson and returning loan forward Jayden Mitchell-Lawson offer other options in attack.

Zain Westbrooke, Max Ehmer and Josh Grant are among the other newcomers at Rovers this season and they will be hoping to make their debuts.

Out-of-favour duo Abu Ogogo and Kyle Bennett look to have played their final games for the club while it remains to be seen when Tom Davies and Josh Barrett will be fit to return after injury.