Hatters defender is willing to play through the pain after his quick recovery from a fractured back

Town defender Dan Potts is determined to carry on playing through the pain barrier to ensure he keeps his place in the Hatters’ back-line.

The 28-year-old suffered a fractured back during the 1-0 win at Blackpool back in early November, an injury that on paper sounds like it could have potentially been season-ending.

But with the season paused for a month to allow the World Cup to take place, Potts ended up only missing three games for the club, trips to Stoke and Middlesbrough, plus the home contest with Rotherham, returning to take the armband for the 2-1 victory over Norwich City on Boxing Day.

Although the injury is still bothering him, he is determined to manage it and remain in the XI, saying: “When I did it, I knew something had happened.

"We didn’t actually know what it was at the start, then we had the break, but the positive side to the injury was once it had healed, there’s no rehab with it, as long as you can maintain the pain.

"I had another scan, it looked like it had healed a bit and it was just pain management and if the pain was enough to deal with then you can play.

"It’s just for me, trying to manage that pain, that’s the good thing with the fractures.

"The bad thing is you don’t know how long it can take to heal, luckily it was only five weeks, so fingers crossed it’s all good now.

“I’ve been through worse, so it’s just a couple of painkillers.

"The physios and the medical team are good, and just do everything I can to just play the next game.”