Terry Butcher believes Julio Enciso’s ‘Diego Maradona’-esque magic can propel Ipswich Town to safety, with the Paraguay international hailed as a player who can win games on his own.
Enciso's Impact at Portman Road
The 22-year-old forward has been the Tractor Boys’ brightest spark this season, scoring in Friday night’s 1-1 draw with Nottingham Forest at Portman Road. The former Brighton midfielder arrived from Strasbourg in the summer and has impressed in Ipswich’s early wins against Sunderland, Crystal Palace and Fulham.
Butcher, an Ipswich and England legend, was part of the Three Lions team that faced Maradona in the 1986 World Cup quarter-final at Mexico City’s Estadio Azteca. The Argentinian scored his infamous Hand of God goal and followed it with a sensational solo strike that saw him waltz past an England defence that included Butcher.
Butcher's Praise for Enciso
While acknowledging Enciso is still a distance off Maradona in the pantheon of greats, Butcher sees similarities in the Tractor Boys’ talisman.
“Enciso is a really exciting player,” he said. “He can win games on his own – he’s not quite a Diego Maradona or Lionel Messi but like them, he plays football with a smile on his face. He’s very, very talented – and I think that’s what we want to see from players.
“It’s changed a lot from my era – we liked the hard men, the tackles and the real commitment and passion. But you get something different with Enciso that’s still fluid, still attractive to watch and exciting.”
Ipswich's Premier League Hopes
Ipswich currently sit 12th in the Premier League table, four points clear of the relegation zone. Butcher, who played over 250 times for the club across a 10-year period, remains optimistic about their survival prospects.
“We look in better shape than we did before. We’ve got players who have Premier League experience, know what to do and what it takes to stay in the Premier League,” he added. “I think we can do very well – we’re over halfway to the total number of wins already to what we got last time we were in the league.”
Butcher was speaking on behalf of a Royal British Legion and MatchWornShirt campaign to raise funds for the Poppy Appeal this Remembrance Sunday. The initiative features Butcher, whose son Chris died in 2017, aged 35, while suffering from PTSD after serving in Iraq and Afghanistan.
