Fun loving Hatters hero Mpanzu hopes he won the hearts of Luton's fans

Fun loving former Luton midfielder Pelly Ruddock Mpanzu hopes that he won the hearts of the Hatters fans during his decade long stint at Kenilworth Road.

The 31-year-old, who joined from West Ham United when Town were a non-league side back in December 2013, played 412 times for the club as they not only made it out of what was then the Skrill Premier during his first six months, but then went all the way to the Premier League just 10 years later, as he made footballing history by becoming the first player to do that with the same club.

Although his time in Bedfordshire has now come to an end, the hugely popular player officially departing when his contract expired a few days ago, in an extensive interview with the club’s official website, when asked what his message would be for the club’s supporters, for whom he was a firm favourite with, he said: “It’s been a pleasure, the highs and lows. Some people think I've played terrible, some people think I've played good, some people think that I shouldn't have been playing, should have been sold or keep him on the bench but everyone's got their own opinions.

"Hopefully I've won a lot of people’s hearts, made a lot of people smile, made a lot of people enjoy the moving and grooving, the vibes and enjoyed me playing for Luton. Enjoyed us getting promoted from every single league and enjoyed our time in the Premiership. It only lasted one season but you've got to enjoy where you are even if it’s for a brief time and for that I'll say thank you to the fans for having me and hopefully I’ll see you in the future, it’s been a pleasure.”

Mpanzu’s loss to the squad will also been keenly felt behind the scenes, as since he first turned up under legendary boss John Still, almost every single one of his team-mates have spoken about the DR Congo international in glowing terms, describing him as the heartbeat of the dressing room and when training at the Brache.

It was something that he always looked to bring with him during his time as a Hatter, continuing: “It is me being me, I don't take things too seriously. I live life how I want to live life. You've got to live life like there’s no tomorrow as tomorrow is never promised. I’m just bouncy all the time, don't get mad, don't get angry. There are some times when you can not be in a good mood, but I’m all right all the time, so it's making sure everyone's good.

"If everyone's good and I'm good then life is sweet. You’ve got to live life as much as you can, I think everyone vibes off that and takes energy from me, hopefully everyone enjoyed my company and knows that I tried to be as vibrant a person as possible. I try to make football as fun as possible, win, lose or draw, I’m still going to be chatting and waffling to you, so I try to make everyone have a good time.”

It was that and having his achievements on the pitch, which surely won’t be bettered for the foreseeable future, which left Mpanzu with the most satisfaction, as asked if the teenager who came through the doors at Ely Way would be proud of what he done during his time in Bedfordshire, he said: “Yes, because it's four promotions, four promotions with one club is what he’d be proud of and just trying to get as much games as possible, because that's what people play for.

"To play the amount of games that I have, I tried to keep as fit as possible and leave some sort of legacy with a club or with people and I think that would be one as well that he’d be proud of. You’ve made people happy, you’ve made people like football, they enjoy your company, but on the pitch you’ve done your work. You’ve brought a club from non-league to the Prem that no-one’s done before, I think he'd be real proud.”

To do that, then Mpanzu had to make sure he was always selected by the various managers that he played under during his stint with the club, as after starting with Still, he went on to feature regularly for Nathan Jones during his two spells, Graeme Jones and Rob Edwards, before it was only this season that he saw his game time limited when heading out on loan to Rotherham United in January.

He said: "There’s always pressure if a manager doesn’t like you as managers have their players, the way they want to play and if it doesn’t suit you sometimes you’ve got to go, so you’ve got to make sure you play well enough and mould your game around how he wants to play and eventually if you get your chances, take it. I think I’ve taken it with every manager I’ve played under.”

It is hoped that Mpanzu will get to run out in a Luton shirt once more though, with a testimonial on the cards in the future, something the ex-Hammer is looking forward to, adding: “I don’t know when that might happen. We’re going to get some dates, see what club, whether it’s a Luton XI versus a Luton XI or a team I’ve played for, Boreham Wood or West Ham. Whoever that will be, we'll sort that out, but I know it will be a good game, whether it's here (Kenilworth Road) or at the new stadium, it should be a fun event."

He also went on to joke: “Hopefully the statue's at the stadium looking at me and I'm taking a picture of it! But until then, let’s hopefully get it done and see you for one last game in orange.”