Millwall boss Neil Harris is unsurprised by Ipswich Town manager Mick McCarthy’s decision to leave the club at the end of this season.

The 59-year-old, who played for the Lions towards the end of his career before managing them in his first coaching role during the 1990s, has announced he will be leaving Portman Road at the end of the season.

It will end his nearly six-year tenure in East Anglia, after taking over from Paul Jewell and caretaker Chris Hutchings, which almost equals his time at Wolves between July 2006 and February 2012.

Harris told News Shopper: “No [I wasn’t surprised by the news] because I’ve been to Ipswich three times this year and I’ve seen Mick working tirelessly to try and get it right.

“He’s a great football man, someone I’ve got a huge amount of respect for what he’s achieved in the game – playing, coaching and managing.

“I really look forward to standing alongside him on Monday in the dugout. [But] the focus for us comes all about the football pitch on Monday and us trying to get three more points.”

Millwall’s away encounter with Ipswich on Easter Monday will be their eighth against them since December 2012, a month after McCarthy began his reign, with the Lions only winning one of those seven meetings.

A late Jordan Spence winner for the Tractor Boys tamed the Lions last time out in a 4-3 defeat at the Den last August, but now is their chance at redemption given they are now within touching distance of a playoff spot.

Asked whether he has sought advice from McCarthy before, Harris added: “I see Mick at games. If I can get coffee with him, brilliant. It’s great with his words of wisdom and knowledge and listening to him, his opinion on things, it’s important.”

Defeat away to Birmingham for Ipswich has also left them with less time to recover compared to Millwall who have had an extra day’s rest after defeating Nottingham Forest 2-0 on Good Friday, potentially playing into the visitors’ favour.

While Harris has seldom adjusted his team during the current 13-match unbeaten run, he admits there may be some rotation for his side's upcoming fixture in order to maintain freshness among his players.

He said: “The boys will recover at the right times and there will be very limited training for the players that have played. Then obviously I’ve got to pick a team to start on Monday accordingly to focus on the opposition, but also to make sure that it’s fresh.

“I’ve made one change to the starting lineup in eight games, Tom Elliott played for Steve Morison up at Hull for 60 minutes, now might be a time I make those changes. We’ll have to see. But I’ll give the players every opportunity to recover.”