Hatters chief declares Mpanzu will need games before making his Luton return

Hatters midfielder Pelly-Ruddock Mpanzu will definitely need some game time before being thrust back into first team action according to boss Nathan Jones.

The 28-year-old has been out of action since April, missing the final seven matches of last season, plus the opening nine fixtures of the current campaign, having injured his knee in the 2-0 defeat to Huddersfield Town.

He is now back in full training again, the club sharing footage of him in action during the week, but with the length of absence, Jones won’t be putting him straight back in for what will be his 334th outing for Luton, admitting the ex-West Ham youngster will need to feature for the Development squad to begin with.

Speaking about the popular midfielder, he said: “Pelly will need games.

"He’s been out for a long time now, but he looks really good in training.

“He’s a super athlete anyway, so it’s just about building him up to a level where he can play games.

"Once he does that, he’s real quick at getting fit.

“He’s excellent at that, he works so hard every day, so he has natural fitness and he’s a super athlete.”