Luton boss hails Adebayo's exceptional attitude to recovering from serious knee injury
Forward is pictured back at the Brache this week
Luton boss Jack Wilshere hailed the exceptional hunger and desire that striker Elijah Adebayo is showing in his bid to get back to playing for the Hatters once more.
The 27-year-old has been out for eight months now after suffering a serious knee injury during the 1-1 draw against Leeds United at Kenilworth Road back on April 5 which ended his chances of helping Town remain in the Championship. Not expected to be back until well into the new year, the forward was then pictured on the club’s official X page this week, lacing up his boots and being out on the grass with his team-mates once more.
Although it was just to join in with some very light training, then although he won’t be ready to feature any time soon, on having him around the players once more, and his drive to feature again this campaign, Wilshere said: “With an injury like this you have to be careful as there’s always little milestones that you have to meet before you can go to the next one. One thing I will say about Eli and probably everyone will echo the same thing, his attitude and his commitment to rehab and making sure that he comes back quicker than that timeframe, I don’t think I’ve seen many players with that appetite and that hunger and speaking to the staff, I know he’s had that.
"So you have to be careful and of course we want to see him this season and I’m sure if you ask him he’ll have that target in his head, but there’s a few things that he has to do before that. Of course when everyone saw him outside, me included, we were buzzing, we were excited and we were asking the same questions that you’re asking. But I just think as well for Eli, to have his presence, he was outside, he wasn’t involved in the training, but he was out there for the warm-up.
"He was sat there on the music box playing the music, picking the tunes, so he’s someone who’s very important and to see him outside gives everyone a lift, but we have to be calm with him. That injury you do come back quite quickly to the grass, you start running, but he has to manage that as well, because he doesn't want to be getting to a place where he’s frustrated. We’ll help him with that, but we are excited to see him on the grass and we look forward to him coming back.”
Having suffered with a number of injuries during his own playing career, Wilshere knows full well what the striker, who has 47 goals in 182 outings for the Hatters is going through, which has seen him make sure he is feeling fully involved as he continues to do his rehab, adding: “I try and go around the physio room just to speak to them a little bit. I said to Eli, come to my office once a week and help me because he knows so much about the club, about the players.
"He’s got a special bond with this place, he’s been on that journey to the Premier League and came back. Actually when we first arrived we had conversations about this, about the work that the coaches at the time and the club put into him to get him to where he was. He really sees the benefit in the things I’m trying to say to the players, about how we work and how we’re trying to get better, so he’s important.”