Doughty relieved to feel like 'being a footballer again' after making his long-awaited comeback from injury following summer move to Luton from Stoke City

Luton’s summer signing Alfie Doughty is relieved to finally feel like a footballer once more after making his long awaited comeback from injury for the Hatters recently.

The 22-year-old joined from Stoke in the summer and after impressing during pre-season, picked up a hamstring problem in one of the final friendlies against West Ham United that saw him frustratingly miss the opening chunk of the campaign.

After a lengthier absence than both he and boss Nathan Jones would have wanted, he was back on the bench recently and then finally earned a first start in the 1-0 win at Norwich City.

Doughty has kept his place for the matches with Watford, Sunderland and Reading last night, making it four starts in a row, as on being back in the thick of things once more, he said: “Any minutes I get at the moment, it feels like being a footballer again.

“I’ve been suffering with injuries for a while now and it’s good to know that I can still play 90 minutes and the legs are still there after dealing with injuries, it’s a positive to take.

“It was a bit of a frustrating start, pre-season was going so well, and then two days before the start of the season I pull up with a hamstring injury and can’t help it, I’m back now and I’m very happy.

“It would have been nice if it had happened at the start of pre-season, but it’s fine now and good to be back playing.

“Luckily I did have six weeks of pre-season with the boys, so it did help, but it’s probably more to do with the fans, they saw a bit of me, but it wasn’t anywhere near what I can actually produce.”

Doughty had also suffered with the same problem when on loan at Cardiff City last term, going off in the early stages of Luton’s 1-0 win in Wales towards the end of the season.

It meant that he has had to take extra time to make sure he is fully fit now, continuing: “Sometimes you have it in the back of your mind if your body can handle it, but it’s getting back there now.

"At the time it wasn’t that ready, but now it’s all good.

"It was just more a recurrence and trying to figure it out, luckily the physio team here just helped me out with it and now it feels back to normality.

“I think that’s why we took a little bit more time than we would have, just because of how quick I am, sometimes I’m more prone to get injuries than any other.”

Having been restricted to a watching brief in the early parts of the season, the one plus it gave Doughty was to see exactly what he had in his armoury that he could bring to the table for his new side, as he said: “When you join a team or when you know what you’re coming up against sometimes you have that in the back of your head, thinking ‘what do I bring that’s not here?

"’What do I bring that can help us?’

"I think my speed really, I know you've got Fred (Onyedinma) and he’s quick as well, but I think it’s also just he’s on the right hand side, I can be on the left hand side.

"You always look at what you can bring to the team, my pace and my directness and my delivery, that’s always what you want to bring.”

Despite getting dejected at times with a lack of football according to his manager, the Town chief also stated the new boy’s attitude in training was spot on, giving himself the best chance of getting his opportunity when the chance arose.

With Jones having been a long-time admirer of the ex-Charlton youngster, Doughty said: “If a manager wants to sign you it’s always a positive.

"They see something in you and I appreciate it and he’s proved everything he said to me. He believes in me and I’ve just got to give that trust back now.

"You always just train as hard as you can no matter what, and the boys were doing really well so you just have to do what you can in training.

"Luckily I got my chance against Norwich and it’s just part and parcel in football.”

After eventually getting the green light to bring him to Kenilworth Road, the winger out of Town’s price range when at the Valley, Jones himself was happy to finally be able to select him in a starting XI.

He knows it is just the beginning too, adding: “It was a long-awaited debut, because we brought him in to be a big player.

"We paid money for him, he’s a wonderful athlete, technically superb and we wanted him available.

“It’s been long-awaited, but we’re delighted to have him back.

"We’re excited about him and, god-willing, he’ll only get better.”