Jack Wilshere says Harrison Ashby is back in training and will have his availability assessed ahead of Luton Town’s meeting with Bradford City tomorrow, while Jordan Clark is getting closer to a return.
Benny Benagr and Jayden Luker remain unavailable, while Shandon Baptiste is facing a longer recovery process.
Ashby missed the defeat at Stevenage after limping out of the previous 1-1 draw against Leyton Orient, holding his groin. Prior to the Boro game, Wilshere said his injury wasn’t as bad as first thought, but he wasn’t included in the squad at the SPORTA Arena.
But with nine days between matches, the Newcastle loanee has used the extended break to recover and returned to training ahead of tomorrow’s match.
“Ashby obviously missed the Thursday game. We gave him a little bit more time to recover after that because we didn’t have a game for eight days and we tried to get the balance right,” Wilshere said. “But he has trained today. We need to make a decision on him.”
Clark, meanwhile, has stepped up his rehabilitation following the jaw break that he suffered against Notts County, almost a month ago.
“Clickers is getting closer. He’s training with a mask on, which he needs to get comfortable with,” Wilshere said. “Training is one thing, but actually being involved is another thing. So we’ll see how he progresses.”
There is less encouraging news on Benagr and Luker, with both expected to remain out for longer.
“Benny is still not available,” Wilshere said, adding: “Jayden [he’s] probably a little bit longer, the same as Benny.”
Wilshere reiterated that the current period is particularly important for Benagr, who made a rapid transition from the under-21s into the first team before suffering a hamstring injury against Stockport County.
“We want him back because he can help the team, but when he gets back, we want to make sure he stays back, and we need to work on a lot of things with Benny,” he said.
“So yeah, I would say he’s closer than them [Morris and Baptiste]. But probably be a little bit longer than after the international break.
“Shandon is working really hard. His is a bit of a longer process,” Wilshere said.
“He actually joined in one of the sessions with the group at the start — very light — but it was nice to have him around the group. Really good for him to build that confidence.”
Wilshere also said the players have benefited from the eight-day gap between fixtures, both in terms of physical recovery and building relationships within the squad.
“I love this time where we had to get the balance right with the players,” he said.
“They spent some time with their family, saw their kids, had some time to switch off and think about what’s coming.
“But also we had some time doing two things. Number one, working and training and being on the pitch together, but probably more importantly, building the connections with some of the new players that we have in the team.”
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