Rea will be monitored ahead of Reading clash

Hatters midfielder Glen Rea remains a doubt for Saturday's home clash against Reading after suffering a thigh problem on Tuesday night.

The 25-year-old was due to be in the starting line-up to face Leeds United at Elland Road, but pulled out in the warm-up, his place going to Martin Cranie.

On his chances of featuring this weekend, boss Nathan Jones said: "We’re just monitoring that at the minute.

"He had a real tight thigh, so we didn’t want to risk him the other night with the idea of him being right for the forthcoming games.

"We’ve come back in today and we’ve given a few of them down days, in terms of off feet and Glen was one of those, so we’ll have to monitor that."

Jones is happy with the health of the rest of the players who took to the field for Luton's third game since returning from lockdown, as they put in huge efforts to gain a point at the Championship leaders.

After making five changes in midweek, the Town chief admitted he might have alter his selection once more, continuing: "There's some stiffness, but that’s normal with an intense Championship game, especially when you go away to Elland Road, then have another journey home.

"That’s what today has been, we’ve used it to do a few things so that we are ready for the weekend.

“There’s still six games, we’ve had three, there’s six to go and we’re going to need everyone, we’ve said that, we’ve reiterated that.

"We might have to tinker with a few things as we go along, but we’ll see what we need.

"We monitor them every day, see how they’re feeling, if they feel good, because rather than have an injury which takes people out of games, you’d rather monitor loads.

"We’ll be sensible with any that are feeling it."

Jones was well aware that some of his players will have more of a chance of being able to manage the final run of six games in 19 days, as he added: "It’s not just fitness, it’s more durable.

"Some people are more used to churning out 90 minutes, 90 minutes, 90 minutes, a lot of it is how they play, how they’re built, their genetics and their dynamics, it is a lot of factors involved in that.

"Then certain games will take it out of certain people slightly more.

"We had a change at half time on Tuesday because Callum (McManaman) and Danny (Hylton) did massive outputs in that initial 45, so we felt we needed a bit of freshness.

"We freshened it up again, so it just depends, so many factors contribute to that."

For striker Hylton, it was his first start for the club since March 2019 after seeing the majority of his campaign hindered by a knee injury.

He suffered no reactions to his 64 minutes on the pitch, with Jones adding: "Danny’s a lot better for it, but Danny’s Danny.

"I thought he was excellent, he led the line, he got us up the pitch and it’s a tough task to lead the line against Leeds because of how intense they are, how they dominate the game.

"He came through it and Danny gave me everything as I knew he would.

“We would have liked him to have an opportunity and a chance, but we weren’t very dominant on Tuesday.

"So what I needed from him he gave it to me and I was very pleased for him."