Luton’s hopes of giving Ali Al-Hamadi a run of games could be in doubt after the forward picked up another injury while representing Iraq.
The 23-year-old had only just returned to fitness following a calf problem suffered while still at Ipswich Town that the Hatters knew about when signing him on loan, but which kept him out for almost two months before he finally managed his first minutes for the Hatters.
He made his Town debut in the 4-3 FA Cup win over Forest Green Rovers, then followed it up with a late cameo in last weekend’s 3-0 victory at Stockport County, where he nearly grabbed his first Luton goal.
Al-Hamadi’s return to international duty looked a chance to build momentum and he scored in Iraq’s 1-1 draw with the UAE in Thursday’s World Cup play-off, but that progress could now been derailed.
Iraq’s national side confirmed on Friday that Al-Hamadi will miss next week’s second leg after injuring a “front muscle” during the match in Abu Dhabi.
The statement on their X page said: “Medical tests have confirmed that our national team player Ali Al-Hamadi suffered a front muscle injury during yesterday’s match against the the UAE, which was the first leg of the Asian play-off qualifying for the 2026 World Cup. Therefore, national team coach Graham Arnold has decided to call up Ammar Mohsen to replace him in the team for the second leg against the UAE on Tuesday.”
Luton boss Jack Wilshere had spoken hours earlier about wanting the striker to return sharper and ready for a demanding run of fixtures. He said: “I spoke to Ali, as again, I didn’t want him to feel like we were playing a game without him because he’s going to be someone we need. He needs some games, he scored yesterday, so good for him and let’s see how he comes back.”
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