Edwards reveals all seven of Luton's centre backs haven't trained ahead of City trip

Luton boss Rob Edwards faces yet another defensive injury crisis this weekend ahead of Town’s trip to Premier League title-holders and Champions League winners Manchester City.

The Hatters defeated AFC Bournemouth 2-1 last Saturday in a must-win fixture at Kenilworth Road, as they went into the match with a back three containing Reece Burke, Teden Mengi and Issa Kabore, while Daiki Hashioka and Alfie Doughty as the wingbacks. Kabore definitely won’t play at the Etihad tomorrow as part of the loan agreement between the two clubs, while both Mengi and Burke are severe doubts for the contest now too.

With Mads Andersen, Gabe Osho, Amari’i Bell, Tom Lockyer and Dan Potts all out, there is a chance that Luton could go to a side who have scored 38 goals in 16 top flight matches on home soil without a single recognised centre half available to them. Discussing that possibility, Edwards, who is also without attacking options in Elijah Adebayo, Jacob Brown and Sambi Lokonga, said: “None the lads that are injured are involved, and we’ve lost probably at least one from the team that was picked last Saturday.

“We’ve got seven centre backs at the club, none of the seven trained this week. We’ll see where we are tomorrow and we’ve got no Issa Kabore as he’s not available, so it’s great! Teden went down twice in the game last week, he pushed through to help us win that game against Bournemouth. He was in a lot of pain, Burkey we got out because he missed the game previous to that, so neither have trained this week. We’re hopeful, but we’ve got to try and get it right as well as we’ve got five really important games after that that we’ve got to be thinking about as well.

“They're big, big doubts as they haven’t trained, which isn’t ideal anyway. We’ll give them as much time as possible, if we don’t get both, maybe we get one, it might be that we don’t get either, so we’ll see. It’s just this is difficult at the moment, but the players are responding really, really well. Whatever we put out we’ll go and be well organised, be committed. We’ll try and be brave, try and play our way and try and win, but we know it will be really difficult.

“I’ve never known anything like this at all. At this stage and with the magnitude of the games, to be missing the number of players that we are is tough, but the ones that are playing and are fit and available are giving us everything. To be picking up the number of points that we have, against Palace, against Forest, win against Bournemouth, to be competitive against Tottenham and Arsenal, it’s huge credit to those lads, it really is.”

During the first half of last weekend’s vital 2-1 victory over the Cherries, England U21 international Mengi had to have the medical staff called on twice as he went down with what looked like injuries that were going to bring a premature end to his afternoon. He was able to shake them off though and complete another brilliant 90 minutes, with boss Edwards tipping the ex-Manchester United youngster as future captain material afterwards.

Asked if he was left flummoxed as to just what to do when seeing the club’s physios having to run on again, he added: “It’s difficult but when you’re in the heat of the battle, that’s what you're paid to do. That’s why I’m manager of the club. I’ve got to try and make good decisions in those moments. We have scenario meetings before the game and think, right if we lose so and so, what are we going to do?

"So we click into gear and go, it’s going to be you and it might have been Fred (Onyedinma) and Hashi's got to come in and we’ll try and deal with it. Thankfully he got through the game and played a big role in the win. That’s my job/ My job is not to panic and have a meltdown, it’s to try and think with clarity, try and make good decisions at crucial stages.”