Hatters boss impressed by Richards' reaction as he considers changes against Foxes
Midfielder has been on the bench for the last three matches
Hatters boss Jack Wilshere has been impressed by the way that midfielder Jake Richards has gone about trying to win his place back in the Luton XI this term.
The 19-year-old, in his second season at the club, having joined in the summer of 2025 from Exeter City, began the campaign in the starring line-up, with a starring display in the opening day 4-3 success at Reading, going on to start four from the opening six League One matches. On the bench against Stevenage, Richards was back in for the 1-0 home loss to Bradford City, before being a substitute for Town’s last three third tier matches.
He has looked lively when coming on, particulary during the closing stages against Wycombe Wanderers, his positive run from the halfway line, leading to Devante Cole’s goal that made it 4-0. In midweek, Richards had longer this time, replacing Tudor Mendel on the hour mark, giving a strong display on the right flank, showing some good strength on the ball, and also an attacking instinct at the other end, trying to get forward when the opportunity arose.
On his reaction to being left out, and how he’s done when called on, Wilshere said: “He’s done well. There’s been a few players who have come off the bench with a point to prove, which I like. I don’t like the players coming off the bench and it not going quite well and then saying, ‘I haven’t played for a while, I haven’t been in rhythm.’
"That’s why we come to work every day, that’s why we train every day, that’s why we demand what we do, collectively, but also you have a responsibility individually that when you step on the pitch, you help the team and that comes before anything. I think Jake is a really good example of that. He’s obviously frustrated, he had a really good start to the season, maybe had a little bit of a drop off during that, fine, that’s okay for young players, that’s going to happen.
"He needs to find that consistency, but the way he gets back in is by doing what he’s doing, is by fighting from the bench, is showing his quality as well, as he’s a player who has really good quality and high ceiling. He’s done well, and that’s what we want from players coming off the bench, or from players coming into the team tomorrow. There’s not an excuse of, ‘I haven’t been in the team for a while,’ I don’t like that. We need players that are going to come in and they get the trust of their team-mates.”
With Luton having kept the same XI for the last three games, Wilshere will be forced into at least one change when they entertain Leicester City at Kenilworth Road tomorrow afternoon, Hakeem Odoffin ruled out with a muscle strain. Although Izzy Jones is expected to replace him, on whether the previously out-of-favour Teden Mengi could be involved in the squad as another defensive option, the Hatters chief continued: “It definitely opens up a spot for Teds.
"He had an interrupted pre-season I would say, and then the focus for him was to complete some weeks of training, some consecutive weeks, five days on, which he’s come through. He’s trained really well and there’s a spot that’s opened up. I’ve said it about Teds, when the transfer window shut, I spoke to him, we had a good conversation and I’ve got a good relationship with Teds. He’s here now and he wants the opportunity to play. It was clear what he had to do to do that, he’s doing that and he’s nearly done that, so he’s closer.”
It might be that Wilshere opts to make more than one alteration against the Foxes, as with Luton having played twice already this week, hosting Doncaster Rovers on Tuesday evening, then travelling to Peterborough United and Huddersfield Town, asked if he might have to rotate his players with that in mind, Wilshere added: “Yes, since Tuesday, Wednesday was off, yesterday we were in here reviewing the game.
"Some players came out to training, some players stayed in for an extra day recovery and then everyone was out on the grass today. We’ll see after this when I meet with the medical team and the performance team, who is fresh, who is probably not so fresh, but has to go again. We’ll have those conversations later and one of the things that is going into my mind is freshness, so let’s see.”