Luton Town boss Jack Wilshere has admitted he has already decided his starting XI for Sunday’s Vertu Trophy final – but is keeping his cards close to his chest over several major selection dilemmas.
The Hatters head to Wembley to face Stockport County with a question mark over who will start in goal, whether striker Nahki Wells will be fit, and how to integrate players returning from injury.
Wilshere confirmed he has made his decision between James Shea, who has played every round of the competition, and Josh Keeley, the club’s regular league goalkeeper.
“I have made my mind up and I’ll keep it a secret,” he said.
Rather than framing the situation as a clear number one versus number two, Wilshere stressed the importance of the relationship between his two goalkeepers.
“It’s harsh to call them ‘number two’ because I see them both as number ones competing for the same spot,” the Hatters boss said.
“We have someone with a lot of experience who hasn’t played a lot of games this season. We have a really young goalkeeper who’s done really well in a lot of games and developed so much.
“Whoever we decide to go with, I know that they’ll both support each other, they’ve got a really good relationship, which I’ve learned is really important.”
The question over who plays in goal on Sunday has been heightened by Wilshere’s former club Arsenal, who in the Carabao Cup final against Manchester City, played second choice Kepa Arrizabalaga -who had played in every round of the competition – instead of regular stopper David Raya. The understudy made a mistake to gift City an opener and the Gunners went on to lose the final 2-0.
Wilshere added that the dynamic at Luton differs from higher levels of the game, where roles are often more clearly defined.
“It’s different at this level where you have two goalkeepers that are competing every day and the way they support each other is outstanding,” he said of Luton’s two keepers. “So whoever we pick will support each other in the right way.”
Up front, there is a doubt over Wells after he was forced off early in the 3-0 win over AFC Wimbledon on Monday, although the early signs are encouraging.
“Nahki felt something before the game and he was adamant that he wanted to give it a go,” Wilshere said. “He then obviously couldn’t after 10 minutes. It wasn’t as bad as we expected.
“He hasn’t trained much this week, so we’ll have to make a decision around him tomorrow. But there’s potentially he could be available.
“It might be one where he’s on the bench and then comes on, we’ll have to make that decision.”
Wells’ early exit on Monday opened the door for Ali Al-Hamadi, who marked his return from international duty with Iraq by scoring his first goal for the Hatters. Wilshere believes the forward’s recent experiences have given him a timely boost after an injury-hit season.
“I was really happy for Ali because it’s not always gone his way this season,” he said.
“When he came he was injured, then he picked up an unfortunate injury, and he’s a player that needs a little bit of rhythm, needs a little bit of confidence.
“Going away with Iraq, having real success and taking his country to a World Cup while scoring his goal, has given him a real big confidence step, and I think he needed that.
“He’s a goalscorer and we haven’t seen that this season. So hopefully we can see it now.”
Elsewhere, Wilshere reported a largely clean bill of health heading into the final, with Mads Andersen coming through unscathed from the Dons game, which was his first start after almost a month out sidelined.
“Mads came through OK,” the Town boss said. “We’ve done a really good job this season of maximising his availability, now we need to get him back into the rhythm.”
Defender Cohen Bramall is also back in contention after his nine-minute cameo in south London was his first taste of action in almost a month, although Wilshere admitted selection decisions remain tight.
“When you can only have six outfield players on the bench, it’s really hard,” he said. “It was just a selection thing and I’ve got a decision to make around that tomorrow.”
With Luton in strong form – after four wins in five games – and competition for places across the pitch, Wilshere acknowledged he has several big calls to make before naming his side for Wembley.
“I’ve got some decisions to make,” he said. “There’s a lot of decisions to make, but whoever we pick is more than ready to step up.”
Be the first to comment