Jack Wilshere has revealed Harrison Ashby is “better than before” after the Luton Town full-back suffered a groin problem against Leyton Orient, although the Hatters boss is still weighing up whether to risk him at Stevenage tomorrow.
Ashby limped off during Saturday’s 1-1 draw at Kenilworth Road holding his groin, raising fears that Luton could lose another important player to injury ahead of the important League One clash.
But Wilshere has provided some encouragement, confirming that Ashby was able to do some work in training this week as Luton assess whether he can feature at at Broadhall Way.
“Harrison is actually better than before,” Wilshere said. “We’ll have to see. He did a little bit today, so we’re waiting. We’ll have to see if he’s available, maybe, because it’s the Thursday.
“I think definitely if it was Saturday he’d have been OK. We have to weigh up the risk — if we select him tomorrow, how much of a risk is that for the long term? But [it’s] good news, because it’s never great when they pull up like that.”
Wilshere is particularly pleased for Ashby after seeing how frustrated the 23-year-old was when he was forced off against Orient.
The Newcastle loanee had impressed in the previous game against Stockport County and the Luton boss believes maintaining that rhythm is particularly important for him.
“It’s pleasing for me and the coaches and the team, but probably more importantly, pleasing for Harrison, because I saw how frustrated he was when he came off the pitch,” Wilshere said.
“I know he’s had a little bit of that throughout his career where he just started to get going and then had a setback.
“He had a little setback in pre-season, which wasn’t bad, but it knocked him off his flow. He’s definitely a player that needs that rhythm. So yeah, good for us, but also really good for him.”
While Ashby could yet be involved, Wilshere confirmed that academy graduate Benny Benagr will not be rushed back from his hamstring problem.
Benagr has been out since being withdrawn at half-time during the 2-0 win over Stockport, with Wilshere stressing that the club want to ensure the youngster is physically ready before returning.
“Benny needs a little bit more time, and we’re going to take our time with this one because we need to make sure it doesn’t happen again,” he said.
“The demands on him physically and mentally and emotionally — going from the 21s and all of a sudden becoming the star boy for the first team and playing loads of minutes — that’s not always easy to cope with.
“So we need to make sure we make him robust, strong in other areas. We’ll use this time to do that.”
There is more positive news on Jordan Clark, although the club captain remains some way from a return to competitive action after suffering a broken jaw against Notts County.
Wilshere said: “Jordan Clark is back in training — non-contact — for probably about nine or 10 days now.
“He started running and getting on the ball, but he’s still non-contact, and we wait for a mask for him.
“Then it’s about how comfortable he is, how much we can increase his training over the next seven to 10 days, and how comfortable he is wearing the mask.”
Wilshere had initially feared the injury would keep Clark out for much longer and admits Luton are desperate to have their vice captain back.
“I thought at the time when that happened that would be a really, really long one,” he said of the injury. “And he’s been out two or three weeks now, which is frustrating for him and for us because we know how much we need him. But yeah, I don’t expect it to be too much longer.”
Wilshere also provided an update on the other members of Luton’s injured “hamstring gang”, Jayden Luker and Shayden Morris.
Neither is considered close to a return, with Wilshere particularly keen to ensure Luker can overcome the injury problems that have disrupted his development.
“He’s doing OK. Him and Shayden — I call them the hamstring gang — they’re spending a lot of time together, doing their rehab together,” he said. “I don’t think they’re really that close to coming back.
“We have to make sure they come back at the right time, and we also work on other things, especially with Jayden. Shayden is a little bit older and at a different stage of his career.
“But with Jayden, he needs to find some consistency. he was injured last year. We want to make sure that when he comes back, he stays back.”
For Wilshere, however, the priority is ensuring players return properly rather than rushing them back and risking further setbacks.
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