Hatters midfielder not expected back until after the international break

Town midfielder Tahith Chong isn’t expected to feature for Luton until after the international break according to boss Matt Bloomfield.

The 25-year-old if one of four players, along with Teden Mengi, Reece Burke and Tom Lockyer, who have not been available to the new manager since he replaced Rob Edwards in January, having picked up a hamstring issue in the 2-1 defeat to QPR on January 6, Edwards’ last game in charge. That is coming up to two months ago now, and with Luton have 11 games left, three of them occurring this week, until a weekend off before beginning their final eight matches away at Hull City, it could be there that Chong is back in contention once more.

Asked if he would feature in either of the fixtures against Burnley, Cardiff or Middlesbrough before then, Bloomfield said: “I think that’s probably unlikely. He’s not back in with our group yet, he’s not far away, but I think before the international break is probably slightly unlikely. We’ll see how this next week goes, but if not we hope for him to be back really soon post international break.

“He’s a quick boy and it’s really important that we give him the time to make sure he’s 100 percent. There’s been no hiccups with his rehab, he’s been working hard, he’s been doing everything that’s been asked of him and he’s in a good place, but I think it’s just about make sure we don’t rush him because of the situation. We have to make sure that we’re response with Tahith and make sure we get him back when he’s ready.”

On the kind of talent they will have available to them should he recover to feature in the run-in, Bloomfield added: “Attacking, intensity, attacking threat, final third quality, ball carrying ability to get you up the pitch in moments that you need it. A player that excites our supporters. So we look forward to having him back when he’s ready.”