Town boss hopes on-loan Arsenal midfielder is only sidelined for a few weeks

Luton boss Rob Edwards is hoping that on-loan Arsenal midfielder Sambi Lokonga will only be missing for a few weeks after suffering a hamstring injury against Liverpool on Wednesday night.

The 24-year-old had been playing a starring role during the Premier League contest at Anfield, with Town leading 1-0 at the break, only to clearly be in some discomfort and holding the back of his thigh once the whistle went for half time. He was replaced by Pelly Ruddock Mpanzu for the second period, Town eventually beaten 4-1 by a rampant Reds, with worries that Lokonga, who missed almost three months of the campaign due to another hamstring problem, could be out for another significant period of time.

The Belgian international played down those fears with a social media post at the weekend, calling it a ‘minor issue,’ although he is definitely out of tomorrow's home FA Cup fifth round tie against Manchester City and more than likely the weekend’s Premier League clash with Aston Villa at Kenilworth Road. It also makes him a doubt for the trip to face his former side Crystal Palace, Lokonga having spent five months with the Eagles last term, when Town visit Selhurst Park on Saturday, March 9, before games with AFC Bournemouth (March 13) and Nottingham Forest (March 16), ahead of an international break.

Discussing the midfielder’s absence, Edwards said: “Hopefully not too long, hopefully it’s only a couple of weeks. We had good news on the scan, the injury is there, we’ve got to make sure he feels right, he feels strong and ready to go. This one (cup tie) will clearly be too early tomorrow, and he’ll probably be touch and go for this weekend still.”

Any matches that Lokonga misses will dent the Hatters chances of staying up as the midfielder has been a huge reason behind Luton giving themselves a real opportunity of remaining in the Premier League, forming a brilliant combination with Ross Barkley in the engine room. Edwards knows they have to try and get him back quickly, adding: “We were concerned after the game, we didn’t know how bad it was and it’s good that it doesn’t seem too big of an issue, but it’s an area where we’ve still got to be careful as well because if we push too hard too soon then it could make something really worse.

"So we’re going to have get the timing on that one right. It’s frustrating as you’ve seen how influential he’s been and how good his performances have been so we’ve got to get it right on that one. We can’t push him too soon, but we’ve also got to try and push as every game is really important now. He’s been excellent, he’s a really good footballer and he’s been showing everyone how good he is.”