Terry Butcher compares Ipswich's Julio Enciso to Maradona as Tractor Boys eye survival

Terry Butcher has drawn a comparison between Ipswich Town’s Julio Enciso and Diego Maradona, calling the 22-year-old Paraguayan midfielder a match-winner capable of producing individual magic as the Tractor Boys look to secure their Premier League status.

Enciso, who joined Ipswich on loan from Strasbourg in the summer after his time at Brighton, has been the club’s standout performer in the early weeks of the season. He scored in Friday night’s 1-1 draw with Nottingham Forest at Portman Road and has caught the eye in wins against Sunderland, Crystal Palace, and Fulham.

“Enciso is a really exciting player,” said Butcher, 67. “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.”

Butcher, who made over 250 appearances for Ipswich across a decade at the club, was himself part of the England side that faced Maradona in the 1986 World Cup quarter-final at the Estadio Azteca in Mexico City — the game that produced both the Hand of God goal and Maradona’s famous solo run through the England defence.

While careful to note the distance between Enciso and the all-time greats, Butcher sees a kindred spirit in the way the youngster approaches the game.

“It’s changed a lot from my era — we liked the hard men, the tackles and the real commitment and passion,” he added. “But you get something different with Enciso that’s still fluid, still attractive to watch and exciting. You want players to excite you — hopefully we excited with our physicality, but now it’s gone back to technique and ability. I like Enciso a lot.”

Ipswich currently sit 12th in the Premier League table, four points above the relegation zone, and Butcher is cautiously optimistic about their prospects.

“We look in better shape than we did before,” he said. “We’ve got players who have Premier League experience, know what to do and what it takes to stay in the league. We’re over halfway to the total number of wins already compared to what we got last time we were in the league.”

He also pointed to a more measured atmosphere around the club as a potential asset: “The expectation isn’t as high as it was two years ago — that lower sense of expectation helps the players and makes sure everyone is singing off the same hymn sheet.”