Fred Onyedinma’s first minutes for three months will prove a boost for boss Rob Edwards who says he has abilities “quite rare in football.”
The 26-year-old has suffered with injuries since the back end of last season when a hamstring problem kept him out of the Championship play-offs.
Before a long-awaited substitute’s cameo in Saturday’s 2-2 FA Cup four-round draw with Grimsby, Onyedinma had been restricted to eight league appearances, all under previous manager Nathan Jones.
Edwards took over when the Welshman moved to Premier League strugglers Southampton in November and he’s had to bide his time to include the pace-ace in his match-day squads, but hopes the forgotten man can now kick on after a tough nine-month period.
“He gives us another dynamic, something different. That pure pace that he’s got, the trickery and the ability to beat a player and take a couple of players out of the game on their own, it’s quite rare in football. To have someone who can do that or another one that can do that for us, is really good,” said the Luton manager.
Under his predecessor Jones, Onyedinma had been deployed in a variety of positions from attacker, winger and wing-back.
Asked what he sees as the former Wycombe man’s best position, Edwards said: “I think he can be effective on the inside and the outside as well. His attributes, that pace, that power, the skills he’s got and his dribbling ability, he could be used at the top end of the pitch, either upfront or as a wing-back.
“If we wanted to tweak the shape slightly and play 3-4-3, he could play as a wide forward as well. He does give us a few options. Because of his versatility, that’s why he’s played in a few different positions previously.
“I like players that are versatile and you can play in a couple of different positions. I think it’s a real strength for a modern-day footballer and he definitely gives us that, Fred.
“He’s got a lot of technique and he’s a really technical player as well, but that pace is something that not many people have got, especially in the Championship. He gives us that real threat.”
As to whether or not he features in tonight’s league clash with Cardiff at Kenilworth Road, the immediate focus will for Onyedinma to get more minutes under his belt and hopefully avoid any further injury problems.
Edwards said: “In football now, no one likes re-injuries or having setbacks and we want to try to manage that.
“We’ve got a brilliant team, the physios and sports science guys are excellent and helping us coaches. We have to work together as one team to try to get return to play right, manage his load and make sure he’s strong and resilient and can train every day and be ready to play as well.
“It’s a big team effort and he’s worked very hard to get himself back into the squad and the staff have done the same as well. They’ve been great.”
