Jack Wilshere has offered an injury update on several Luton Town players as the Hatters prepare for tomorrow’s trip to Northampton Town.
The Luton boss confirmed that winger Shayden Morris has been ruled out for up to four weeks, while yet to feature striker Ali Al-Hamadi, midfielder Hakeem Odoffin and winger Izzy Jones are all edging closer to returns, though he urged patience as the club manage their fitness carefully.
Speaking at his pre-match press conference ahead of his first away day in charge, Wilshere revealed that Morris’ groin injury, sustained in his first week in charge, was not as serious as initially feared.
“Shayden wasn’t a bad one,” he said, adding: “It was Monday, I think, my first session. I was watching, he over-stretched and hurt his groin. It’s not a bad one. I don’t think he’s that far away, but it’s annoying for him because a new manager comes in and I know he’s a good player and he probably wants to show it, but we’ve had some good conversations.”
He added that the winger’s pace and explosiveness meant the medical team were taking extra care with his recovery.
“You always have to be careful with players like that who are so explosive. Even when we’re planning and designing drills, we make them a bit smaller to decrease the risk of them sprinting behind, but they still manage to pick up sprint speed because they’re so quick. I was never that player.
“So yeah, w”We have to be careful with them, but also excited about that because I think, especially in this league, pace on the wings can really hurt teams.”
Wilshere said he expected Morris to be back within a couple of weeks. “I think it was four weeks, but now it’s been what, ten days since, so two-and-a-half hopefully.”
The manager also provided a positive update on Al-Hamadi, who signed for Luton on the transfer deadline day and arrived with a calf injury, but hasn’t yet featured, though he has resumed full training after a spell on the sidelines.
“He’s been training. So when I first came, he was training away from the group. Then maybe the last week, he’s been training with the group and we’re just trying to slowly build him up,” Wilshere said.
“We’re impatient with him because he’s been so good in training and we know how good he can be, and he’s going to help the team massively – not just with his ability, but he’s a leader as well. He’s a man. He talks to the young players. He’s the one who’s coaching in training. So yeah, I’m excited by him, but we need to be a little bit calm.
“What’s important is that we get him back and we keep him back. We don’t get him back for a couple of games and it’s a bit too early, he picks up something else. I think that’s really important. My experience as a player, we have to make sure that he’s right, and even if it takes maybe one extra game, it will help him in the long run.”
Odoffin is another player closing in on a return, having stepped up his workload in recent days. The Hatters signed the versatile player despite knowing he’d need a minor operation to correct a non-musculoskeletal issue that was flagged during his medical.
“When I came he was with the team a little bit, then stepped out. The last few days he’s been more with the team. Again, he’s someone we have to be patient with – I’m excited by him because he’s been really good in training,” said Wilshere.
“I think he’ll help the group with his presence and his leadership skills, but also he’s a good player. So, we’re slowly getting players back, which will help, but we also have to be a bit patient with them.”
Nigel Lonwijk and Jones have also returned to training, though Wilshere suggested the latter is not yet ready for competitive action, having missed the start of the season with a stress fracture in his back.
Wilshere, who retired from football at 30 after repeated injury issues, said he had been reminding the squad’s injured players to stay mentally ready to contribute once fit.
“I said to the players – and you guys [media] know this better than me – when you play in a league that has so many games, you might be injured now for four weeks, but when they come back, we’re going to need them. They’re going to have to play and be ready. So I try to give the players that are injured that message… you have to come back not just to train, but to be ready to play.”
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