Kazenga LuaLua is close to a return to the first team but may not feature against Cardiff on Saturday with Luton boss Graeme Jones keen not rush the forward back before he’s ready.
The 28-year-old only came back into the fold towards the end of pre-season after initially rejecting a new deal before agreeing one when it seemed like he’d be looking for another club.
The popular player tweeted a photo of himself training and when asked when he will be in contention, Jones said: “He’s close to contributing, but again we have to be sensible, we want Kazenga for the season, we don’t want Kazenga for Cardiff.
“So I’ll speak with the medical staff, speak with the sports scientists and we’ll make a decision on the long term interests of Kazenga LuaLua.
“It would be easy to say now, ‘I want him available for the weekend,’ but we’re the ones as a club taking a hit in order to get a long term value out of him, because we need his quality over the season.So we’ll be looking at it from that point of view.
“He’s had 45 minutes at Millwall yesterday, see how he comes in tomorrow, we’ll get him assessed and make a decision, again in the best interests of the club, but in particular Kazenga.”
LuaLua has had his injury woes in the past, but a strong second half of the season in Town’s League One title-winning team gave him a prolonged period playing, which Jones hopes can continue.
The manager said: “In order for us to have security with Kazenga, when the intensity goes up, he has to have volume in his body, it’s the only security we’re going to get.
“If we turn the intensity up now, right now, then we’re taking a risk, so I’m delighted to have him in the building, delighted for the prototype that we’ve got with him.
“Again, he’s someone who’s got great Championship experience, he’s someone who can turn a game in a second, but he just needs to be looked after and make sure that when he does come in and play minutes, he’s going to stay.”
