Matt Bloomfield reports that the injured members of his squad are making good progress on their returns to full fitness as the manager prepares to face Plymouth Argyle on Saturday.
As the Hatters welcome the Pilgrims to celebrate 120 years of football at Kenilworth Road, the boss confirmed that central defensive duo Mads Andersen and Teden Mengi are available for selection, further boosting the strength in depth in defence.
“Teden is now back available, he’s training with the group. He hasn’t had any minutes at all since Southend, so it will just be that match fitness he’s missing,” Bloomfield said at his weekly press call.
“We need to try and get him some minutes, maybe in an Under-21s game or arrange a game to make sure he can get some minutes.
“His ankle feels loads better, he’s trained for the last week or two, so he’s not far away. He’s back available for selection, but we know that he probably needs minutes as he’s not had loads in pre-season. He had a bit of a back spasm, so missed some time in Slovenia, then had his ankle injury at Southend.
“It’s a real shame really, but he’s back in amongst it, and we just need to get him ready to go. Mads is fine, Mads is good too.”
However, the Hatters will continue to be without the services of Isaiah Jones, Hakeem Odoffin, Jacob Brown, Reuell Walters and new signing Ali Al-Hamadi.
“There are a number of those boys who look like they’ll be available around the same time. Hakeem is not imminent, but he’s working hard; he’s working individually on the grass, so he’s progressing. It’s a slow recovery for him because of the procedure he had in the summer, but he’s progressing, which is great for him and for us when he comes back.
“Izzy is a few weeks away yet but also working hard, Jacob Brown has been out on the grass a little bit, but that’s a slow one for him and Ali Al-Hamadi – they all seem to be on a fairly similar timeline in terms of returning. It’s around the same time, give a week or two, so once you get those boys back, we’ll have real strength in depth. It was a real consideration for us during the summer.
“Reuell, however, unfortunately, has had a bit of a setback, so he’s going to be a little while still. It’s just a recurrence of his groin, which is really disappointing for him and for us. He was back out on the grass but he just suffered a bit of a setback so he’s not going to be ready for a little while. It’s not going to be the next couple of weeks; it’s going to be a few more.
“But, overall, the strength in depth and the competition for places is fierce at the moment and, that, in my experience, heightens performance levels as everyone is fighting for a position.
“The group is starting to come back to full fitness and we’re really pleased with the strength we’re starting to get.”
