A former Canaries striker has played a role in the current resurgence of rivals Ipswich Town.

The Tractor Boys have former Norwich City loan player Antoine Sibierski, who scored once in 16 appearances for the Canaries during a loan stint in 2008/09, to thank for the arrival of Kevin Bru.

Little was known about the Paris-born, Mauritian international when he signed for the Blues on a free transfer in the summer.

The former Levski Sofia man has proved a real find, though, impressing in the recent home wins over Wolves and Watford with his box-to-box energy and eye for a pass.

And it was former Manchester City, Newcastle, Wigan and Norwich midfielder Sibierski – now an agent and sporting director at one of Bru's former clubs, Lille – who recommended the 25-year-old to the Blues.

'Kevin Bru has just been great whenever he played,' said Tractor Boys' boss Mick McCarthy. 'He looks a really good Championship player.'

Asked how the club goes about identifying a player like Bru, who had a played for a string of lower league French clubs before moving to Bulgaria, the Blues boss replied: 'I tell you how I find them. It's because I'm prepared to take people in (on trial) and have a look at them.

'The irony of it is I got a call from Antoine Sibierski. He said 'will you have a look at this lad?' We had a look at him on our system, TC (assistant Terry Connor) said 'gaffer he looks like a good player, he's technically good' so I said 'we'll have a look'.'

'I've must have had hundreds, maybe thousands come in on trial over the years. You have a look at them, most of them you say 'thanks, but no thanks' but you have to keep doing it.

'Sometimes you get, not lucky, but you find one. We seem to have done that with Kevin.'