Former Rams midfielder would have happily extended his Hatters stay if given first team reassurances

Departing Hatter Jacob Butterfield has admitted he would have been open to staying at Kenilworth Road next term, had there been a realistic possibility of breaking back into the first team.

The 30-year-old midfielder wasn’t offered a new contract last week by boss Nathan Jones after a season which saw him feature just 17 times, scoring one goal.

Only one of those came under the returning manager in Town’s 1-0 win at Swansea after lockdown, but it wasn’t enough to earn him a new deal.

Speaking about his exit, Butterfield said: “It wasn’t a total surprise because obviously I haven’t played as much as I would have liked to, and whether the finances after the coronavirus are going to be limited and the squad’s going to be smaller, but Luton’s a good club and I’ve enjoyed my time there.

“I haven’t played as much as I would have liked to, but I definitely would have been interested in staying if the manager had given me some reassurances that I would feature more than I did this season.

“Then I definitely would have been open to staying, but that’s football, it’s no hard feelings.

“Absolutely yes I would have (stayed), what can I say?

“It’s just the way it goes, he had some decisions to make and he’s made them.”

Although Butterfield was ultimately disappointed not to get the chance to work with Jones next term, he held no grudges against the returning Luton chief.

He continued: “He was great to be honest.

“I had a good chat with him when we were in the thick of the games in this period.

"He’s honest, we had a good talk and then he went out of his way to phone me after the season.

“We had a long conversation, I appreciated his approach to that, he wanted to speak and talk it all through, which is not always the case in football.

"So I did appreciate the way he went about it, he was good."

Although Butterfield is now going into the new season without knowing where his next port of call will be, he is confident of being fixed up in the not too distant future, adding: "Last season was the first time (I was a free agent), it’s just the not knowing that makes you a little uncomfortable.

"As a footballer you’re used to your routines, you need to know when you’re back in training and you know what’s going on, you know when your next game is.

"That uncertainty that looms over you is a bit unsettling, but I’ve had some interest already, so I’m not concerned in any way.

"The sooner I can get fixed up, the sooner I can get back playing."