Edwards can't wait to start working with Luton squad as he confirms Town will have a friendly ahead of Championship restart

Luton boss Rob Edwards can’t wait to get working with his new squad when they return from their mid-season break this week.

Following a congested schedule building up to the World Cup which starts this afternoon in Qatar, the Premier League and Championship was postponed for a month, allowing the Luton players to get a well-earned breather.

They are back at the Brache on Thursday though, before heading away again with their new manager, hired as Nathan Jones’ replacement on Thursday, with Edwards desperate to get the opportunity to begin putting his ideas across.

He said: “We’re back in on the 24th and then we’re going to be able to get away for a few days as well which is great.

"We’ll spend time some together, get to know them, get some good work in, which is really important.

“The club has been great in backing us to be able to do that and then the games will come round really quickly.

"So it will be a great little period, a run up to that Middlesbrough game, a chance to get to know them, and get some good work in as well.”

Town will also have a friendly clash as well in order to prepare for their return to the second tier at the Riverside Stadium on December 10, with Brazilian side Botafogo, who are currently fourth in the Carioca Serie A, rumoured to be a potential opponent.

Edwards continued: “There’s a friendly game that's in there as well and we can get some good training in, so we’ll be ready.”

The new boss won’t be starting from scratch with the whole squad either, as he knows a few from his playing days too, adding: “There’s a couple, I know it was a while ago, Clicker (Jordan Clark) was at Barnsley when I was coming to the end of my career.

“I had a short spell at Norwich as well with Henri Lansbury, we were both on loan when we got promoted there, so we were both part of that brilliant time there as well.

“So there’s a couple of the boys and I'm aware of a lot of them as well from over the years of watching them play.”