Luton boss insists former Posh youngster can help the Hatters' push for the Premier League

Luton boss Rob Edwards insists that young forward Joe Taylor, initially signed as a prospect for the future, can also help the Hatters in the here and now as they battle for a place in the Premier League this season.

The 20-year-old was brought in from League One Peterborough United on transfer deadline day back in January, as a player for Town to let develop and then impact the club going forward.

Having started his career at King’s Lynn Town, also scoring 21 goals in 13 games for Eastern Counties League Premier Division side Wroxham, Taylor had moved to the Posh in November 2021, scoring once in 15 first team outings, all from the bench.

Following his move to Kenilworth Road, he was given his Town debut as a substitute in the 1-1 draw at Coventry City and has gone on to make four cameos in total, his longest being a 25-minute run-out against Rotherham United recently.

However, with Cauley Woodrow absent due to a knee injury picked up in the 1-1 draw with Reading, Taylor has found himself promoted to being the third choice striker behind Elijah Adebayo and Carlton Morris, as Admiral Muskwe has barely featured since his return from a loan spell at Fleetwood.

With Edwards potentially ringing the changes for Luton’s last home game against Hull City on Monday to protect his players for the upcoming play-offs, there is a chance Taylor could be handed a first start, as on the youngster, Edwards said: “Joe’s a young player that we’ve been tracking as a club for a long, long time.

"He’s got a lot of potential and Joe’s one that can help us in the here and the now, but he’s definitely someone who’s going to be helping us in the future.

"He gives us something different, he’s got some real pace and power, you can see that in the games that he’s come on.

"He uses his body very, very well, but he’s a finisher, he’s a natural finisher as well.

"He’s a goalscorer, but he’s someone that we want to keep working with, he’s someone that needs to get to know us and we want to really get to know him and for him to feel comfortable in understanding how we play and what we do.

"He’s very respectful as well and understands the situation, he’s got Cauley, Carlton and Eli all at the moment who have done very, very well for us this season.

"He’s another fantastic option for us, he’s been really valuable since he’s come in.

"I know he’s only made a few appearances so far, but you can’t guarantee anyone’s going to get minutes, not even a single minute.

"Everyone’s really, really valuable, how they train and when they do get their chance, it’s keeping the levels high as the pressure is on to keep winning.

"To have a team that’s successful, you need everyone at it, and he’s certainly one of those lads that’s at it every day.”

Although he hasn’t had a great deal of game time, Edwards expects that Taylor will get better just by being around the Hatters squad in training too, as he added: “Joe's done well in training recently, and he’s a little finisher.

"I think playing and training with this group of players, he’s going to improve on a daily basis.

"We’ll try and keep working with him, and as we do with all these players.

"We try to give them individual time to improve them, but he’s got time on his side.

"He’s a young player, he’s going to get better, he’s got some really good attributes, that’s why we brought him to the club.”

» To pick the side you think Rob Edwards should select to take on Hull City, click here.