Edwards can understand Luton midfielder's frustration over a lack of first team football

Luton boss Rob Edwards understands the frustration that midfielder Pelly Ruddock Mpanzu will no doubt be feeling due to his lack of first team action this season.

The 30-year-old has played for less than half an hour so far this term, coming on for late cameos in the closing stages against Preston North End and Portsmouth, while he then had the final 21 minutes at the Den on Saturday as Luton beat Millwall 1-0, replacing the fit-again Marvelous Nakamba who got the nod ahead of him.

It follows on from a Premier League campaign where Town’s longest serving player only started 11 times, with three of them coming since the turn of the year, as with Town bringing in Tom Krauß, Shandon Baptiste and Liam Walsh during the summer, Mpanzu, who has played 405 times since arriving at Kenilworth Road in December 2013, the only player ever to go from non-league to the top flight with the game club, faces an even harder battle to earn his place in the side.

On how he has been handling a more limited role in the side so far, Edwards said: “We had a really good chat the other week. I think every player just wants honesty and some clarity and this is the difficult part of the job as you’re always disappointing people and now we’ve got a lot of bodies back you’re disappointing more people than keeping happy.

"That’s the difficult bit, but that’s the nature of the job. As long as everyone is focused and motivated and on board with what we’re trying to do, that’s really the job. So of course he’ll be frustrated if he’s not getting the minutes that he wants, like any player who’s not starting or not involved in the squad, but the one thing with Pelly you can say is he never ever changes.

"He trains brilliantly, he’s a brilliant personality around the place and when he comes on in the game then he’ll be the best version of him as well, so it’s difficult because there’s tough decisions. We’ve got some really good players and a competitive squad, but it doesn’t change how we feel about them as individuals and as people. We absolutely love him to bits and he gives everything every single day.”

Asked how much credit Mpanzu deserves for still keeping his spirits high and not letting the lack of game time get to him, the Town chief added: “He’s a professional footballer, that’s your job and you’ve got to do it. Again if we make sure that we’re getting around everyone throughout that week and try and speak to people, give them their time, whether that’s on the grass or whether that’s speaking to them and keep pushing them and demanding of them, hopefully allowing them to improve then they stay motivated.

"What we do know is it’s a long season and the team will constantly change, the squad will constantly evolve and change because of injuries and suspensions or loss of form, whatever it is. We’ve just got to be ready, so he is a credit to himself because first of all what he’s done for this football club anyway, but he just never changes. He’s never ever low, even if he does feel it himself, he comes in and is the life and soul and gives 100 percent every single day, and I absolutely love him for that.”