Luton captain Carlton Morris is available for the derby at Watford, but the Hatters are sweating on a number of players.
The striker, who missed the midweek 1-1 draw with Plymouth due to illness, is back in training and available for selection, but the final squad selection will depend on the fitness of several key players.
“Carlton’s back on the grass today, back in training, which we’re really pleased about,” manager Matt Bloomfield confirmed, adding: “Obviously, he’s a big character for us, a big leader, a big player for this football club.”
Morris’s return is a welcome development for Luton, who have struggled for goals in recent matches. His presence in attack could provide the cutting edge the Hatters need to overcome their rivals. However, Bloomfield also admitted that his squad is still dealing with several injury concerns.
“We have got a couple of knocks. We’re carrying a couple of knocks, and we’ll have to give those boys as long as we can to see if they’re going to be fit,” he revealed.
The physical toll of the Championship schedule has hit Luton hard, with players having to recover quickly from a packed fixture list. Bloomfield acknowledged the challenges but remains hopeful that some of his sidelined players will be available.
Jordan Clark, Shandon Baptiste, Mark McGuinness and Daiki Hashioka are all doubts and will be assessed closer to kick-off.
Midfielder Clark has missed the last two games with an ankle injury and Bloomfield said: “Clickers back out. Not on the grass. He’s been doing some moving patterns around this morning, so we’ll wait and see whether he can get himself ready for Sunday.
“I genuinely don’t know at this point whether he will or won’t. It would be great to have him back involved. He’s one of the the boys that has been involved in the fixture before and the experience and know-how would be great to have around and about. So if he can then that would be great. If he’s not, then, unfortunately it won’t be the case.”
McGuinness suffered an ankle injury just before Plymouth scored their equaliser in midweek, where he had to watch from the sidelines as they scored, but was substituted soon after.
Bloomfield said of the centre half: “We need to give him as long as we can. He got a knock on Wednesday evening, so we’ll have to see how he recovers in the next couple of days.
“He’s been great since we’ve been in the building I know he’s done that all season. So I think he’s adapted to that right side of three really really well carries the aerial threat.
“Another leader, I think, amongst the group, so we’ll have to wait and see how he is in the next couple of days.”
“Going into that third game in a week, it’s quite often that you’re carrying one or two injuries. Obviously, we had the Sunderland game previously as well. So we’ve got a couple of knocks and niggles, and we’ll have to wait and see if those boys can pull through. If not, we’ll have to be ready to make changes,” said Bloomfield.
Baptiste came on as a sub for his second appearance since a long-term injury in November, but he suffered another blow when shooting and so is now another doubt for the derby clash.
“He finished the game but, again, another one carrying a knock and I genuinely don’t know at this point whether he’ll make Sunday or not,” said Bloomfield.
“He didn’t train this morning. There was a small group training and some boys recovering, so we’ll have to, again, wait and see how he settles down.
“It’s unfortunate for Shandon to pick up a little knock like that, but he seemed quite positive this morning.
“He’s a positive boy. He’s dealt with injuries before, and so he knows his body quite well. But again, we’re going to have to wait and see if he can train tomorrow. And if he can, then he can be involved. If he can’t, then unfortunately won’t. But we’ll give him another 24 hours and see how he’s in the morning.”
Midfielder Lamine Fanne has been missing since his mistake at Sunderland led to the Black Cats’ second goal, but it’s not been because of injury.
“He’s available,” Bloomfield said of the former AIK ace, adding: ” “He’s been training really, really well. I think if you look at the team sheet in the last two games, we’ve looked to go a little bit more experienced because of the situation that we’re in. So, that’s not derogatory or a negative on him, but it felt like the right thing to, to put boys in there that have been there and seen it and done it a little bit more, and we can’t have too many of the young players all in at the team at the same time.
“I believe in young players. I want to introduce them as much as we possibly can. But he’s training well and adapting and we hope he can contribute again for the season’s out.
“He’s going to be a good player for our football club and we believe in him but it just felt like the right time for the last couple of games to go with the mix that we did. And I think the midfield three have played well for two games.
“He’s a really good lad young player. He wants to make his way in the game. He wants to play. He wants to be involved, of course he does. And we understand that. But yeah he’s also learning the level. It’s about dipping him in and taking him out at the right time and making sure that when he plays, he’s ready to contribute in a big way.”
Daiki Hashioka has also been missing for squads in the last week, but Bloomfield revealed that the Japanese defender has an injury.
“He’s got a little knock on niggle on his knee, so he’s missed out the last couple of games,” the manager said, adding: [he’s been] back out in the grass this morning. He’s been unfortunate to miss the last couple of games.”
With the derby looming, the availability of key players could be decisive. Bloomfield is determined to manage his squad effectively to ensure Luton puts in the best possible performance.
“We want to score goals, we want to impose ourselves on the game, and we have to make sure we do that,” he emphasised. “It’s a big game, and we need everyone at their best.”
