Hatters duo are back in training but won't make Cardiff trip

Hatters boss Jack Wilshere has admitted that although both Hakeem Odoffin and Sverre Sandal are both in making good progress in training, neither of them are in contention to feature when his side make the trip to League One leaders Cardiff City tomorrow.

Odoffin, 27, who has played just eight times since his free transfer arrival from Rotherham United in the summer, was last in action when coming off the bench for the 4-0 win over Wycombe Wanderers on Boxing Day. He has missed the last nine games now, as although no date has been pencilled in for his playing return, he is at least back at the Brache, as Wilshere said: “Haks has joined in in training this week which is good. Haks is the type of character who brings energy, but it will be too soon for him this week.”

Meanwhile on Sandal, who signed on deadline day from Norwegian club KFUM, whose season finished at the back end of last year, hasn’t stepped on to the field for a competitive fixture since November 30, 2025, around two-and-a-half months ago. It means he is not quite ready to be dipped in for his first experience of English football, unlike fellow new addition Davy van den Berg, just yet, as Wilshere continued: “He needs a bit more time.

"He’s on the pitch and building his fitness. It’s pre-season for them, so again trying to find his rhythm. He doesn’t need to play U21s games, but he’ll need that sort of introduction to the squad where he plays a little bit, comes out and then he has to find his place in the team and earn the right to get into the team, get into the squad.

“He’s someone who’s probably a different type of midfielder to what we’ve got, someone who is really clean technically, good on the ball, but also gives us the ability to do different things with him out of possession as well. So we’re constantly looking at ways of what each individual brings to the team and how we need to adapt around them, but he’s adapting well.”

Midfielder Liam Walsh is also still absent after hurting his shoulder, while giving an update on whether he expects striker Elijah Adebayo, missing since April of last year with a serious knee injury, to be involved any time soon, Wilshere added: “From the weekend (2-1 win over Bradford), no-one’s back, no-one’s injured. I’ve said this from the start with Eli, we don’t want to put a date on it. I think he needs to play a game with the 21s, we’re still looking at that and when that is.

“He’s now been training for a while and each day he looks better. He’s trying to find his rhythm, but actually over the last few days it’s starting to come. At the same time he’s been out for a long time and we need to be patient with him, as although I look at the options we have as a nine, and it would be nice to pick Eli as well, but we also need to be patient, as we need to think about him. It was a bad injury he had so we have to give him some time to come back and maybe some 21s game to help him accelerate that and then we’ll see where he’s at.”