O'Neil on Emersonn's fitness, 'excellent' Flemming signing and Liverpool

Ipswich boss Gary O'Neil has been speaking to the media before Friday's Premier League game against Liverpool at Portman Road (20:00 BST). Here are the key lines from his news conference: O'Neil confirmed summer signing Emersonn is "fine" after landing awkwardly and jarring his knee at Old Trafford, while Jaden Philogene is "close" to a return. He added he has "no fresh injury concerns", but Azor Matusiwa and Jack Taylor remain unavailable. Reflecting on the first two league games, O'Neil said: "Lots of positives to take from it. The transition at the football club, the amount of players we've signed, a new coach, the amount of work that's gone in - for the team to have recorded a win against Sunderland and looked as organised as they did for 55 minutes against Manchester United is positive. It can normally take a while to gel but the lads have shown a good understanding." On signing striker Zian Flemming from Burnley late on transfer deadline day: "It's an important one. Emersonn and Chuba Akpom have been excellent, but we had to get a third striker. He has scored Premier League goals in a newly-promoted side before. He brings quality, physicality, so is an excellent addition and brings extra competition for places. He is a good lad, he leads well from the front, trains hard. It is important to recruit the right type of person." O'Neil said the mood is good in his squad before the visit of the Reds: "It will be a test for us. They could easily have taken the full six points so far. They will be fired up. But, we have belief, we're ready to go again. We've reset, had a great week training, and we are ready. There is a fantastic energy in the group We can perform in a way that always gives us a real chance. I fully expect us to leave the stadium tomorrow night with more points than when we started." On summer signing Abdul Fatwa's impact so far: "Really pleased with him. I'm still looking to help him improve a lot. Enthusiastic, great kid, works unbelievably hard. He has big moments that can change games. I want to help him with his all-round stuff as I think there are still big gains for him. He is a top talent, we love him and he has brought a great energy to the group. The ceiling is high for him." Follow all of Thursday's Premier League news conferences and the rest of the day's football news Got a question about Ipswich? Get in touch here and we'll seek answers from our experts [BBC]