Dan Potts has made a quick recovery from a fractured back and new manager Rob Edwards is hopeful of having him and striker Cauley Woodrow available soon, though Sonny Bradley and Fred Onyedinma won’t return this side of New Year.
Centre half Potts got injured in the win at Blackpool and then posted on social media that he’d suffered what sounded like a serious injury.
But Edwards has confirmed that the defender has been training today ahead of Luton’s Championship clash at Middlesbrough on Saturday.
“I think a fractured back sounds horrendous,” the manager said, adding: “There are lots of bones in our spine and I think there’s a slight fracture there but in an area where it can heal fairly quickly, as bones do.
“He’s feeling pretty good, so he’s recovered quite quickly. He’s out on the grass today, so we’re hoping to have him back with the squad soon, which is really good news.”
Luton also lost club captain Bradley to a nasty knee injury, when he landed awkwardly against in the 0-0 draw at home to Reading on November 1.
Edwards said: “Sonny’s going to be a little bit longer. It could have been a really significant injury, looking at the mechanism and how he did it, but luckily, in a way, it’s not as bad as it could’ve been.
“It’s still an injury where it’s a little bit painful and it’s a longer one, so it will probably be into the New Year with Sonny.”
And a longer lay-off awaits Onyedinma, who missed the end of last season with a hamstring problem and has only managed eight appearances this term, with the last of those coming in the 1-0 win at Norwich in mid-October.
“Fred’s probably going to be a little bit longer,” said Edwards, adding: “We’re hoping not too long, but we looked at him in the first couple of sessions when he first came in and he hasn’t been quite right.
“We’re just going to make sure that we manage him correctly, but he may still be a month or six weeks away. I don’t want to put too much of a timeframe on it, but we’re really looking forward to having him back because he gives us something completely different. So, I’m looking forward to working with him.”
Like Potts, forward Woodrow is now back in training. He has also only featured eight times this term, as he was a substitute in the early part of the campaign but then suffered an injury in September.
Edwards said: “It’s really good news with Cauley. He’s been out with us. He started off last week more on his own, but he’s built into some of the sessions to the point where, today, he was probably with us for three-quarters of the session. So, he’s progressing with us really well.”
