Luton Town boss Matt Bloomfield has confirmed that Marvelous Nakamba is back in contention for the Hatters following his run-out with Zimbabwe during the international break.
The 31-year-old midfielder has yet to feature for Luton in League One this season, having missed pre-season amid summer transfer speculation and ongoing fitness management. Until the break, his only club action had been a 45-minute outing with the under-21s, making Zimbabwe’s 1-0 World Cup qualifying defeat to Benin last Friday his first senior match since Luton’s 1-0 Championship win over Derby in April.
“Marv has had some interest as a number of our players,” said Bloomfield. “But he’s still with us now. He’s our player and he’ll be ready to contribute when we’re ready to have him back.”
Last month, Bloomfield revealed Nakamba had been carefully managing a persistent knee issue and was not consistently training with the first team. Ahead of Saturday’s clash with Plymouth Argyle, the manager welcomed his return to competitive action.
“He’s obviously had a bit of a slow summer, working his way back,” Bloomfield explained. “It’s great for us and for him that he’s gone and played 90 minutes for Zimbabwe. He was really keen to represent his country, as he always is, and it’s another proud moment for him — and important for us to see him back to fitness.”
The midfield picture at Kenilworth Road is increasingly competitive, with George Saville, Jordan Clark, Zack Nelson, Lamine Fanne and Liam Walsh all impressing in recent weeks.
“A fit and ready Marvelous Nakamba is obviously a plus for us,” Bloomfield added. “But competition for places in the middle of the pitch is fierce.”
Elsewhere, Bloomfield confirmed mixed updates on the squad. Defender Teden Mengi is back training after a proposed summer move fell through, but the former Manchester United man still needs minutes to regain sharpness. He could feature for the under-21s or in a behind-closed-doors friendly to accelerate his return.