Luton boss Rob Edwards was hoping to have more of his squad back fit after the international break, but ahead of the Premier League visit of Crystal Palace he admitted the last fortnight has “not been ideal” with players picking up injuries while away.
Most flinchingly, was Issa Kaboré who was knocked out cold while on duty with Burkino Faso, as video footage showed players rushing to put the defender in the recover position.
The Town boss said: “Issa’s out. He had the concussion, so we’re going through all the protocols with that. He won’t be available for this game. We’re hoping he’ll be fine for next weekend against Brentford.
“I saw the footage. It was a nasty one, but he’s scoring well on all the testing. We’re obviously following the protocols now and making sure we do that correctly. His health is the most important thing, but he’s been fine. You see him at the training ground and he’s smiling and wondering around, so there’s no problem.
“It’s just that you obviously have to give it a certain amount of time. He’s got to tick the boxes now before he’s able to train.”
Town fans will have watched on nervously as in-form Chiedozie Ogbene was ruled out of Republic of Ireland action, with now departed coach Stephen Kenny revealing the winger could not even get his foot in a boot.
Edwards, however, said: “Chieo’s been OK. He had to have a bit of treatment. He obviously wasn’t able to represent his country, which he was disappointed about, but I’m hopeful.
“We’ve managed to get him out on the grass. He has been sore and we’ve had to help him through a couple of days. We’re hopeful because he has been a key player for us, but he has been in a lot of pain.”
Edwards admitted there were other players that he’s “sweating on” over their fitness, but didn’t elaborate, other than to say: “We’ll leave people for as long as we can. It’s not been an ideal international break for us.”
However, defender Amari’i Bell has been posting positive messages on social media in the last couple of weeks, hinting at his return after seven weeks on the sidelines.
“Amari’i’s done really, really well, so he’s in contention,” said Edwards, adding: “He’s fit and able to be involved so he’s a real positive.”
Likewise, the club posted a photo of Albert Sambi Lokonga back in training after the Arsenal loanee suffered a hamstring injury in only his second outing for the Hatters.
Edwards said: “Sambi’s doing well. He’s not ready yet but he’s joining in with big elements of the training now as well. I’m looking forward to having him back but I don’t want to put any unnecessary pressure on him, but I think he might be a little ahead of schedule, which is great.”
Edwards was hopeful before the international break that Reece Burke would be closer to a return once action resumed. On the defender’s recovery from a hamstring problem, the manager said: “He’s doing well. He’s outside and he’s been able to join in early parts of our sessions, but nothing team based yet, so he’s probably similar to Mads now. He’s still a number of weeks away, but not too many.”
Alfie Doughty came off as a precaution during the 1-0 defeat at Manchester United a fortnight ago, but Edwards said: “Alfie’s fine now. He was sore, he was feeling his Achilles but he’s OK, he’s fine, he’s trained.”
