Ipswich Town manager Mick McCarthy has insisted that he has the best left-back in the Championship at his disposal in Aaron Cresswell.

The 23-year-old has rose to prominence since arriving at Portman Road from Tranmere Rovers in 2011, which has resulted in speculation that he could be due a move to a Premier League club in the near future.

McCarthy has admitted that he understands the reasoning behind the rumours, but he does not want to lose "the best left-back in the league".

"I think Cressie is the best left-back in the league," the East Anglian Daily Times quotes him as saying. "I'm not trying to up his value by saying that because I don't want to sell any of my players, but I would say that's probably obvious to most people. If there's a better one then I've not seen him."

Cresswell made 45 appearances in all competitions last term.