Jones insists summer signing Woodrow will be a 'big player' for Luton in his new advanced midfield role

Luton boss Nathan Jones has insisted that summer signing Cauley Woodrow will be a ‘big player’ for the Hatters this season, despite what has been a quiet start so far for the forward.

The 27-year-old was one of the club’s most prized additions in the summer transfer window, with Jones managing to entice the former Town youngster back to Kenilworth Road from Barnsley for an undisclosed fee.

While fellow Tyke Carlton Morris, who became the Hatters’ club record signing, has hit the ground running, with three goals already, the same can’t be said of Woodrow yet, who is yet to score, restricted to just 154 minutes of Championship football.

Having made his name at Oakwell as a striker, the ex-Fulham forward has been played in a more deeper position since his return, as even when he came on against Wigan recently to partner Morris in place of Elijah Adebayo, he was soon moved back when Harry Cornick and Cameron Jerome was introduced.

That’s where Jones believes he can flourish though, saying: “It’s an advanced midfield role, a 10 really, playing behind two strikers, that’s what we’ve done, if we need a bit of guile and cleverness.

“We put him in behind the two strikers again, so that’s where we see him, as a real attacking 10.

"We know he can play upfront, but I’ve asked Cauley to be patient as he’s come into a side that’s well-oiled and we know, he’s learning that.

"Carlton’s hit the ground running in terms of scoring goals, but him, those three players we’ve brought in, in terms of (Alfie) Doughty, Carlton and Cauley, sometimes it just takes a little bit of time to settle and that’s all it is.

"He’s come on in most games, he’s been part of it, he’s played, so he’ll be a big player for us once everything settles down, I’m convinced of that.

"He’s a centre forward, but he was never a number nine, he’s one that comes in and links the play, so that’s effectively what he’s doing.

"We’re pretty clinical in terms of what we do, everyone knows their role and responsibility.

"But we’ll get the best out of Cauley as we’ve invested money in him, he’s a fantastic talent, a wonderful trainer.”

Although admitting Woodrow had been disappointed not to play as much as he had hoped since his move to Bedfordshire, Jones praised the attitude he has shown in trying to stake his claim, adding: “That’s what everyone has to do, that’s my job to manage that.

"We only sign good characters, so if there’s an issue or a problem, I have to deal with that, but Cauley’s fantastic.

"He wants to play, absolutely, and he deserves to play.

“The quality and ability he’s got, and how hard I worked to get him, he will play games for us.

"It’s just at the minute we do certain things and we’re looking to evolve and he’s part of that evolution process.”