Jake Richards will undergo a late fitness test ahead of Luton’s League One clash against in-form Bolton Wanderers tomorrow, with the midfielder nursing a calf issue sustained in Tuesday’s 2-1 win over Huddersfield Town.
Richards appeared to be in discomfort after taking a kick, and boss Jack Wilshere confirmed the knock has lingered longer than hoped.
“He got a dead calf. He got a kick on the calf, which is annoying because it can stick around for a while and you have to wait until he doesn’t feel it,” he said in his media conference. “So let’s see. There’ll be a late test on him.”
The Hatters head into tomorrow’s match hoping to build on the midweek battling victory, but Wilshere acknowledged that the relentless schedule will again force rotation decisions.
“We knew we were going to have to make changes anyway,” he said. “We knew that certain players probably couldn’t recover from Saturday and Tuesday. We had a little bit more time in between, but it’s still a three game week and we’ve still got a three game week next week.”
He added: “We’re always trying to find ways to push the players a little bit more without going over the top. It’ll be another game like that where we’re going to ask some players to go again”
Wilshere also confirmed that Ipswich loan striker Ali Al-Hamadi will stay with the Hatters while he faces several months out with a quad injury suffered on international duty with Iraq.
“He will stay here and we’ll look after him,” the manager said. “We’ll make sure he gets the right support because it’s not easy for him. But that’s who we want to be. We want to be a club that supports everyone. Even if he’s a loan player, we have to think like he’s our player. We have to care for him in that way, which we will do.”
The manager said the striker has come through a difficult couple of weeks: “I know he’s probably had a couple of weeks where he’s been a little bit down, but I think he’s now in a place where he understands it and he can really focus on the rehab. And we’ll help him with that.”
There was at least encouraging news regarding Nahki Wells, though the forward will miss the Bolton game, having limped out of the 5-0 defeat at Barnsley and leaving Oakwell in a protective boot.
“Nahki, it was good news. It wasn’t what we thought or as bad as we thought it could be,” Wilshere said. “But he still needs a couple of weeks for it just to calm down a little bit. He spent a few days back with his family in Bristol, and he’s either back today or tomorrow, and then we’ll start pushing on with the rehab with him.”
Jacob Brown stepped up his return on Tuesday with a cameo from the bench, and Wilshere said the club must manage him carefully.
“I think he’s looking sharper, not just every game, but every day,” he said. “He’s someone we have to be patient with because he’s also one that excites us and we know his quality. We want him to find his best form quick, but we also know we have to respect the time he needs to get there.”
There were mixed updates elsewhere in the squad, with news that Jordan Clark and Isaiah Jones will not be ready for the Bolton game.
“Clark is back on the pitch, he’s been training next to us, not with the team yet,” Wilshere said”
On Izzy Jones, he added: “I think it was good news, but probably a bit too soon. He’s not trained this week, he’s still in a bit of pain, but hopefully not too long. He got kicked on his ankle [against Barnsley]. Thankfully it wasn’t that badly damaged, but still quite painful and we have to get him out of pain, control the pain and then slowly build it up.”
Be the first to comment