Luke Freeman says he’s finally over a “cocktail” of groin injuries which had meant four surgeries in four years, the last of which he feared would cut short his debut Luton season.
The midfielder signed for the Hatters in the summer after leaving Millwall and he featured 20 times before Christmas, scoring twice.
But the 31-year-old suffered a setback in the 3-0 win at QPR in December and that saw him go under the surgeon’s knife which kept him on the sidelines until his return against Blackpool a month ago, since when he’s made four more substitute appearances.
“We all probably thought that the season would be over,” said Freeman, adding: “I’ve done well and all the medical staff, the gaffer’s been brilliant with me, to get me back in as quick as I have done.
“It’s been brilliant. I honestly thought the season would’ve been over, so to be back and be involved in the last five games going into the play-offs, with another game on Monday and three more games hopefully, it’s just good to catch the last eight games of the season.”
After seeing specialists aboard, it was finally a London doctor that pin-pointed the problems.
Freeman said: “In the groin area, it’s very complex. It’s not as simple as looking on a scan and saying, ‘That’s it’.
“You look at one thing and it leads to maybe another, but it’s not done like that. We thought it was one thing, which it was. It didn’t get done properly, as such, or wasn’t as best as it could’ve been done.
“And then, when you keep playing with that stuff, it’s almost like a knock-on effect of other stuff in and around that area that’s kind of compensating for something that’s not working.
“Then something else goes in the area and you end up with a cocktail of injuries that’s basically happened.
“If it had been done properly in the first place it would’ve been resolved earlier, but it’s just one of those things unfortunately. It’s not always as easy as that because of how complex it is and what goes on down there.”
Even at the start of the season, Freeman admits he wasn’t quite in top shape, but by the time he came on as a substitute at Loftus Road, he knew it was back to square one after three unsuccessful surgeries.
He said: “I came on against QPR and feeling what I’d normally been feeling, this general pain that was half liveable and playable. Then I just felt something completely go down there and felt it’s not right.
“I went for a scan and we obviously knew what it was going to be anyway, but they told us what we already knew.”
It came as a blow because his first forays as a Hatter offered hope that his injury woes were behind him.
“At the start of the season, we kind of thought it was resolved for the third time,” said Freeman.
“That was when I kept picking up these little knocks that would set you back two or three weeks, then it was gradually getting worse.
“I could never get any actual momentum, as a player.
“We all thought it was resolved and then the more I started to play, the more I started to remember that it wasn’t resolved, unfortunately.
“I was just trying to get it out of the way and done with. As frustrating as it is, being out for that period of time, and losing a big chunk of the season, and then having to play catch-up with the fitness side of it, and probably being a little bit rusty, it’s so easily done, because I couldn’t keep doing what I was doing.
“It was frustrating but at the same time relieved that it’s all been done and resolved.”
He added: “(It’s been) frustrating, but at the same time, it’s a great time to come back in at this time of year, there’s a lot to play for, and with the lads such a great bunch, hopefully get to look at that play-off spot.”
With the final game of the regular season against Hull to come on Monday, Freeman is one of a number of Hatters starting to vacate the treatment room at The Brache training headquarters.
Dan Potts returned with a cameo in Monday’s 1-1 draw at Blackburn Rovers, while two of his defensive colleagues, Reece Burke and Gabriel Osho, are also in contention to face the Tigers after three weeks out.
Freeman said: ““Physically and mentally we’re in a good place, few lads are just coming back at a good time, so we’ve basically got a full selection of the squad, so in a good place.
“We spoke about this momentum that we want to keep on building, we obviously want to take that into the play-offs, so Monday’s game is important, but knowing that we’ve secured third place and we’re there, we’ve certainly got one eye on the play-offs now.
“It’s a win-win for the lads who have played a lot of minutes, they can be rested and make sure they’re in a good place going into the play-offs and for the lads who maybe, like me, haven’t had a lot of game time, through injuries or whatever, can get some minutes as well.”
