Cauley Woodrow could be sidelined until the World Cup starts, but Gabriel Osho is closer to a return ahead of Luton’s clash at home to Queens Park Rangers on Saturday.
The forward has picked up a calf injury and hasn’t featured since Town’s 2-0 win at Blackburn four games ago.
The domestic season breaks in a month’s time for the start of the first-ever winter World Cup, and manager Nathan Jones thinks he’ll be cutting it close to return to Luton action before then.
“He’ll be a number of weeks which will take him really close to the international one, so it’s about monitoring that,” said the Hatters chief.
“He did his calf in training, out of absolutely nothing really, which is very, very strange, but that’s what’s been happening to us.
“Again we trust our processes, we’ve had to adjust certain things, we’ve adjusted our meetings to make sure we don’t keep picking up little injuries, but at the minute, or the last six months, we’ve picked up more injuries than we would have liked as normally our record is fantastic.
“So it’s about adjusting to that, we’re an aggressive side, added new players in, so we have to adapt and this is a different level to what the club has been at for certain years.
“There’s a few factors involved in that, Cauley’s just a bit unfortunate, but it gives someone else an opportunity.
“It’s always a shame when people pick up injuries, especially when he worked so hard, been patient and then got his opportunity.
“We were looking to play him again, so it is very, very unfortunate for Cauley and for us really, because he was growing into a big player for us.”
There’s more positive news with defender Osho after he and Reece Burke missed the last two games with hamstring problems.
While Burke is out for “a number of weeks,” Osho is back in training.
Jones said: “Gabe is a lot closer, he’s out on the grass so he’s a lot closer than Reece. Reece is unfortunate because of the form he has been in but Gabe’s injury is not at the level Reece’s was so he’s back on the grass it was a minor one really.”
