Daiki Hashioka will return to contention for Luton’s Boxing Day trip to Bristol City, but the Hatters monitoring the availability of “one or two” other unnamed players, said boss Rob Edwards.
The Japanese international missed Friday night’s last-gasp 2-1 win over Derby County, due to a muscle strain, but has been training since and is in contention as the Hatters aim to arrest a seven-game losing streak on their travels.
“He’ll be available, which is good,” the Town manager said of Hashioka, adding: “It looked like everyone got through (the Derby win), but we’ve got one or two question marks, which I won’t give you now, for obvious reasons, but we’re hoping that everyone that was involved the other day comes through again. Yeah, one or two question marks. Fun and games.”
Asked if he’ll be forced into some changes, Edwards said: “Well, potentially. We may anyway if we feel it’s the right thing to do for this game, but we hope we’re not having to do it for injuries and more for tactical reasons.”
Luton are still not expecting the seven players currently out injured to make a return over the Christmas period.
Edwards said: “We’ve got people making decent progress. Reuell (Walters) is really stepping up well, but he’s obviously been out for a decent period. So he’s looking at the next one (to return).
“Amari’i (Bell) and Alfie (Doughty) are doing all right, but not ready yet. There’s a little bit of light there, but we’ve said that before, haven’t we?
“But they’re good names. When I’m saying things like that I’m thinking, oh yeah we have some good players that we’re without at the moment.
“You listen, up and down the country, you see football and it’s sort of happening to a lot of people at different places as well. We all have to go through it. It’s been a really challenging time, but the lads have given us everything, the ones that are available right now, fighting really hard.
“We know over the next few weeks we can we can get stronger again. So, we can take a lot of heart from that.”
Shandon Baptiste (calf) and Reece Burke (quad) remain further away from a return, while Teden Mengi (knee) and Tom Lockyer (ankle) are longer term issues.
Liam Walsh will sit out the second of his four-game suspension, after CEO Gary Sweet confirmed in his programme notes for the Derby game that the midfielder will be fined the maximum penalty for his second red card of the season.
Midfielder Marvelous Nakamba hasn’t featured since the 1-1 draw with Swansea, on December 7, but while the club continue to manage his return after the serious knee injury he suffered last term, Edwards confirmed that his place on the bench in recent games has been a tactical decision.
“Marv played the Swansea game. It’s a difficult game. We got through it and got something from it. And then it’s been and just decisions,” said the Hatters boss, adding: “He’s trained really, really well today, but we’ve won a couple of games and lost one in those three games that he’s not played in.
“So, it’s just a bit of competition in that area. But he’s fine, training really well, which is great. Because he missed so long, it’s been hard for him to then get to his best. And we’re obviously looking for a result, and you’re thinking right, can we keep in and play him, and hopefully he gets to that level again?
“But also, we’ve got to protect him and we want to win a game. It’s difficult. He’s right there, training really well and right in our thoughts, going into all of these games now.”
Asked if the Zimbabwean is now past his injury troubles, Edwards said: “We’re hoping so. It’s something that he’s got to manage.
“Look, if you scan all of our bodies just in this room now, we all have stuff going on in our knees and ankles and stuff like that anyway, in our joints, because it’s just wear and tear.
“Marv is someone that is an all action player, isn’t he? And so there’s always going to be stuff that he’s got to manage and maintain. He certainly seems like he’s coping with it well, which is a real plus for us.”
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