Clark's absence won't alter Wilshere's transfer plans as he gives update on midfielder

Luton boss Jack Wilshere doesn’t anticipate the injury to midfielder Jordan Clark will alter his plans in the final few days of the summer transfer window.

Since clubs were allowed to do business and bolster their squads, the Hatters have made five additions so far, with the permanent signings of Callum Marshall, George Johnston and Kasey Palmer, while Harrison Ashby and Emilio Lawrence have both agreed season-long loans from Newcastle United and Manchester City respectively.

With Town having four spaces available in their 22-man squad to fill if they so wish, they have been hit by a number of injuries already in the first few weeks of the season, Jayden Luker and Shayden Morris both picking up hamstring problems which will keep them out for a period of time. The duo were joined on the sidelines by Clark after he suffered a broken jaw during the 2-2 draw against Notts County at the weekend and will now also be missing.

Asked if the 32-year-old’s absence has made his revise his plans in terms of the areas of his team he wants to strengthen, Wilshere said: “I don’t think it changes as we always knew that, we always knew that we wanted Kasey (Palmer), we wanted Clicker, we wanted Walshy (Liam Walsh) to stay, but we also knew that we had to have some cover for them as well, so it doesn’t change.

"It’s just been the focus throughout the whole window, I’ve always said we won’t take anyone, we want someone to compete with them to play, and come in and play and make the team better at times, so it doesn’t change that. There’s more conversations definitely happening, more interest in our players, the full craziness probably hasn’t started yet, but in my opinion it’s going that way.”

The club revealed the news on Monday morning that Clark had undergone surgery on his injury, and giving a latest update on the midfielder, Wilshere continued: “Clicker was a shame, he’s someone that we love and I’ve loved since I’ve been here, that has produced big moments, big performances. He’s a leader in the group and it was really important we got him to sign a new contract at the end of the season. He’s going to be a miss, thankfully he’s okay, as when something like that happens, the worst case scenario gets into your head.

"He was okay, the medical team looked after him really well, I’ve spoken to him and he’s desperate to be back, he wants to get back already. The medical team when it happened on the pitch, he was asking could he carry on? So that just shows you what type of person he is and he also means a lot to everyone here, not just me, the staff, the people who have been with him a long time, the fans, they can see how much this club means to him. So hopefully it won’t be as bad as first thought, but he’ll be out for a period."

On what happened in the immediate aftermath of Clark’s injury, as he required lengthy treatment before being stretchered off and taken straight to the Luton & Dunstable Hospital, Wilshere said: “When they rush on and they bang their head, you start to think, is he unconscious? Has he come back? Is he okay? Has he got concussion? Is there a head injury? Then the physio comes off, he’s obviously got a lot of adrenaline, I’ve got a lot of adrenaline for the game, I have a quick word with him and then your mind goes back to the game.

"Straight away at half time you ask if he’s okay. We know that his jaw was a fracture at that point and then you’re worrying, does he need surgery? What does the surgery look like? There was a lot going on, and then Jake (Richards) was the first one that got there and you start to think is Jake okay? Then it starts to flick to recovery, how long is he going to be out for? But in a bad situation, the best thing came out of it. He’s had his surgery, it went well and we’ll see how long it will be.”

Wilshere also thinks that Clark might be able to get back and play sooner than expected if he has the right protection, saying: “At the moment he probably can’t chew food, so he’s probably on a milkshake diet. We’ve got a nutritionist here who’s top and he’s all over it already. Protein and what he needs to take, if anything he’s probably really hungry. Djed Spence wore one (a mask) in the World Cup, so it will probably be something like that.”

Finally, whether long-term absentee Shandon Baptiste is any closer to being able to feature for the Hatters and give Wilshere another component to their midfield, he added: “Shandon’s still a little while away and that’s okay. We have to give him time and he’s been through a tough time mentally but also physically. He’s missed a bit, he’s been back on the pitch with the physios for a while. He’ll then transition into working with the performance team, then he’ll transition into training which will take a period of time. So we knew about that, but it doesn’t change anything.”