Town chief ready for challenge of Swansea and on-loan Liverpool starlet Rhian Brewster

Jones hoping to contain City's formidable attacking line-up
On-loan Liverpool youngster Rhian Brewster lets fly for SwanseaOn-loan Liverpool youngster Rhian Brewster lets fly for Swansea
On-loan Liverpool youngster Rhian Brewster lets fly for Swansea

Luton boss Nathan Jones is ready to guard against the talents of ‘wonderful’ on-loan Liverpool player Rhian Brewster when the Hatters head to Swansea City tomorrow.

The 20-year-old who began his youth career with Chelsea, switching to Anfield in 2014, is highly thought of by the newly-crowned Premier League champions after representing England at youth levels from U16s through to the U21s.

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In 2017, he was part of the England squad, managed by current Swansea boss Steve Cooper, who won the FIFA U-17 World Cup in India and was awarded the Golden Boot award after finishing as the competition's leading goalscorer.

Brewster moved to the Liberty Stadium in January and netted his fifth and sixth goals in just 12 games during the Swans 3-0 win at Middlesbrough last week, with former £20m man Andre Ayew also on target.

Speaking about the pair, Jones said: “We come up against real good players week in week out, that’s the test, that’s why we wanted to get here and spent a long time getting here.

"It will be a good test, Rhian Brewster’s a wonderful player, Ayew deserves to be in a higher league, but we’ve got good players, we’ve got players that can hurt you.

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"We’ve just got to make sure we’re the best version of ourselves.

“We don’t have the budget and quite the level of technical ability of some others but we’ve got good players here.

"Collectively that’s when we are at our strongest, when we believe in what we do and work hard.

“It’s my job to galvanise and we will.

"We’re more ready now than we were a week ago.

"Next week will we even be more ready than we are now and we will gather that the more time we get with them."

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Jones is well aware of fellow Welshman Cooper, who was born in Pontypridd and has managed both England U16s and England U17s in his career, along with being in charge of Liverpool's hugely impressive academy.

He said: “I know his dad really well, Keith (a former referee) and I’ve seen Steve lots.

“I spoke to him since I left my last club, he's a real, real good guy and is doing well.

"He has paid his dues with England and has a good relationship with the players there, hence the loans for Brewster and (Conor) Gallagher.

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“So he’s doing really well, it’s a good club, good people, it’s nice to see him get his opportunity and he's taking it.

“I’ve known him for a long, long time and his dad for even longer.”

Hones has masterminded a victory over the Swans this season though,when his Stoke side defeated the Welsh opponents 2-1 at the Liberty back in October, Scott Hogan scoring a stoppage time winner.

He would love a repeat tomorrow, saying: "I was there the first time we beat them away and so I would take the same result, same performance and the manner of the win exactly the same.

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“It was an injury-time winner so I would take that all day long but it will be a tough game we know that.

“Swansea are very, very good side, they’re excellent at home and they’re very, very fluent in how they play.

"We are going to have to be the best versions of ourselves because I don’t think we could be lucky and nick a win, I think we’re going to have to play well.

"We know that they’re a good side, they had a good result last week and we know their strengths.

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"They have certain things that they do well, so it’s going to be a very, very tough game, we know that.

"But I don’t think there’s anything other in the Championship than a very, very tough game, so it’s just another one of those.”