Luton boss hails the 'Champions League' character of recent signing Robert Snodgrass and vows the ex-Scotland international will contribute during run-in

Town’s recent signing Robert Snodgrass has been labelled as a ‘Champions League’ character by Hatters boss Nathan Jones, as the Luton chief vowed he will have a role to play on the pitch as well during the Championship run-in.

The 35-year-old was snapped up by Town on a free transfer back in February, after the former Scotland international was without a club having left West Bromwich Albion on transfer deadline day.

Having not played since November, Snodgrass was always going to be eased in to action by Jones, but despite being a regular on the bench, has only managed two substitute appearances against Chelsea in the FA Cup and QPR in the league so far, playing just 21 minutes in total.

Although Jones wants to up that in the final eight games of the season, the Town boss admitted the ex-West Ham, Norwich, Hull and Leeds player has still made a massive impact around the squad during his short stint at Kenilworth Road.

He said: “Robert Snodgrass in metaphorical terms is a Champions League character.

"When he comes in, the way he is around the place, he just fits in here.

"We’ve got real characters, real top, top characters that he just fits in with.

"We knew it was really important that when we brought him in, we knew what he would give us off the pitch, but we also want him to contribute on the pitch.

"He picked up a slight ankle knock in the QPR game, which meant he missed Preston and Hull games, but he’s been training fully now, so he will contribute before the end of the season.

"He’s already doing half his job anyway in terms of being around it and it takes a special person to come in here and enhance the environment, and he does that.

"We’ve got such a good environment, such a good culture that anyone who improves that has got to be a special character.

"But we know that as I’ve known Snods for a long, long time, people know Snods, he’s famous or infamous in football for his character and how he is.”

Fellow countryman Kal Naismith had spoke recently about just what a superb addition Snodgrass had been and that his 'priceless experience' was having a huge effect on the younger members of the squad, whom he was getting into the gym in a bid to maximise their potential.

He’s not the only one to do so either according to Jones, who added: “We’ve got loads of those, Cameron Jerome is exactly the same as that, Kal Naismith is the same as that, Sonny, people like that.

"Then we’ve got a group that actually want to go into the gym, that want to do extras, that want to get better, and that’s why it’s the best group.”