Edwards hopes Town forward will be fit for Clarets but admits it's 'touch and go' over recovering trio

A cautionary Town chief Rob Edwards is hoping to have forward Jacob Brown ready for the start of the season, but has described it as ‘touch and go’ whether the rest of Luton’s injured players are back in time for the Championship opener at home to Burnley on Monday, August 12.

Scottish international Brown made 19 appearances in his maiden Premier League campaign after joining in the summer from Stoke City, adding two goals, also featuring three times in the cups as well, netting in the 3-2 Carabao Cup victory over Gillingham. Unfortunately, his last outing came when making an appearance off the bench in the second half of the 4-4 draw at Newcastle United on February 3, as he then damaged the cartilage in his knee during training which left him sidelined for the rest of the term, hindering Town's attacking options.

It was even worse for Marvelous Nakamba, with much expected of the experienced midfielder, who had signed permanently from Aston Villa after a superb loan stint at Kenilworth Road the previous season. He only managed 13 top flight outings for Luton, also featuring for Zimbabwe in two World Cup qualifiers, before damaging the meniscus in is knee at The Brache, which meant he didn’t play after the 2-1 defeat to Manchester City in mid-December.

With Danish defender Mads Andersen only able to play eight matches due to calf and hamstring issues, Jamaican international Amari’i Bell was another to have a lengthy spell in the treatment room. Having been virtually ever-present for the Hatters, he was forced off against Aston Villa in early March, requiring surgery on a hamstring injury, missing the final 12 fixtures of the season, as Town were to suffer hugely with selection issues in their centre half berths.

Team-mate Reece Burke had managed to finally regain his full fitness in the latter stages of the campaign, beginning 16 of the final 21 matches, picking up a calf injury in the penultimate contest at his former club West Ham United which saw him absent for the finale against Fulham, meaning he too is a doubt for the curtain-raiser with the Clarets.

Giving an update on the quartet when speaking to the press on Thursday, Edwards said: "It’ll be touch and go for the very beginning, but they’ll be getting close by then. Burkey will be getting close, Marv will be getting close, Amari’i will be close and some of them if you ask them now, they’ll say ‘I’ll be ready,’ which is really encouraging. Browny, I’m hoping will be, which is really, really good and some of them are almost like new signings when the season comes around.”