Musonda is confident he can play at a higher level with Luton

Luton defender Frankie Musonda remains confident he can still cut it at Kenilworth Road after moving to St Albans for his second loan spell recently.

The 22-year-old has been with the Hatters since the age of nine, playing in the same youth team as James Justin that won the Aarau Masters international tournament back in 2009.

He penned his first professional contract at Town in November 2015, making his debut as a substitute at Mansfield the following January.

Since then though, he has been restricted to just 14 appearances in total, with only two more substitute cameos in the Football League, his last in May 2016, with all nine of his starts in the Checkatrade Trophy.

The loan marks Musonda’s second spell at Clarence Park this campaign, having spent just under two months there earlier in the season following previous loan stints at Oxford City, Hemel Hempstead Town and Braintree during his Luton career.

With his contract at Kenilworth Road believed to be up at the end of the year, Musonda still hopes he play a part in Town's future, saying: "I feel like I can play at a higher level, but playing men’s football is what I need to keep myself developing in the game.

“With the gaffer here (at Luton), his style of play is different to styles of play we’ve had with other managers, which is good for me, because it means I have had and am getting a variety of coaching.

“But I feel like I am always improving, even if it is playing at a level lower than what Luton are at.

“It’s good hearing different coaches and players’ views on how they see the game and how it should be played. It opens up my eyes up to new philosophies.”

Musonda was the only Luton player in action at the weekend, as Saints beat fellow National League South strugglers Braintree Town 1-0 thanks to Jo Iaciafano's goal.

The result lifts them up to 19th in the table, as Musonda said: “We won 1-0, a big win, an important win.

“I played right-back and did well. I put in a few good crosses and we dominated the game.

"I won a penalty actually, but it was missed. It was a definite pen!

"That’s taken us out of the relegation zone – and if the league were to finish today, depending on what they decide, we can’t go down which is good.

"We have gone up a couple of places and it is still very tight, but it’s a very good win."

Although it will be the last game Musonda plays for a while, with the National League now suspending all fixtures due to the coronavirus outbreak, he was pleased it went ahead, adding: “It felt pretty normal to me to be honest.

“There were a lot of people across the National Leagues who weren’t happy about it being on, but I was happy that it was on.

“There was only around 500 there, so the supporters could spread out around the ground.

"I think if the players feel fine, if they’re not feeling unwell, then I think that they should play.

“I will be honest, I was really happy the game was on. If the games were on for the rest of the season, I would be happy.

"I would rather play than just sit at home, but I understand there is a seriousness to it, there’s a bigger picture.”