Hatters boss confirms 'astounding' former Manchester United defender is fit to face Red Devils

Luton boss Rob Edwards has confirmed that ‘astounding’ defender Teden Mengi is fully fit to face his former side Manchester United this weekend.

The 21-year-old didn’t feature in the 3-1 defeat to bottom club Sheffield United on Saturday having suffered an ankle injury in training which meant he was only fit enough for a place on the bench against the Blades. Mengi, who has been one of the major finds for the Hatters this term, starring in the recent 2-1 FA Cup fourth round victory at Everton, spent 14 years with the Red Devils, as he came up through the youth ranks, eventually turning out twice for the first team in the Europa League and Champions League.

Having also represented England from U15 to U20 level, the centre half opted to end his time at Carrington and head to Kenilworth Road in pursuit of more first team football opportunities. He has certainly managed that too, as after breaking into the team for the 2-1 defeat to Burnley back in early October, has gone on to begin 14 out of the Hatters’ last 17 top flight encounters, proving himself a vital part of Luton's back-line, leading the way in terms of interceptions, while he is third in the ranks for clearances and blocks, also making an average of 1.7 tackles per match too. A 76.4 percent success rate when it comes to passing shows he is no slouch in possession either, while he is also up and running for his new club in terms of goals, scoring in the 2-1 victory over Crystal Palace.

Mengi played in the 1-0 defeat back at Old Trafford in November and has every chance of taking on his former employers once more when they head to Bedfordshire on Sunday, as Edwards said: “T’s fully fit, he’s had a good week, so he’s available. It’s one that he’ll be looking forward to. He’s been brilliant this year. For a young player to come in and step in, to move away and out of his comfort zone, he’s been at Manchester United for a long time, I know he had some loans, but then to move away, to make that brave decision and to perform in the way he has, at the highest level, is really astounding.

"Now I’m not surprised at all in anything that he does, but I think he surprised me initially to how quickly he adapted to what we want and how we play and to his new surroundings, his new team-mates, but really pleasantly. Hopefully that can continue, he’s got such a high ceiling, so it’s great to have him fully fit for us.”