Luton Town are set to have a few players missing from Tuesday night’s game against Oxford United, but the situation with them is not as bad as first feared, manager Rob Edwards has revealed.

Not only have the Hatters’ performances been crumbling apart since their relegation to the Championship, but so have a lot of their players.

Luton have struggled with fitness issues since before the new campaign even began, and they cannot seem to shake this bug.

Against Plymouth Argyle, on Friday night, they lost 3-1 and picked up a trio of injuries during the course of the game.

In the first half, Teden Mengi picked up a knee injury and was replaced by Mads Andersen, who would then go on to pick up an issue himself later in the game.

Tahith Chong also had to be taken off after taking a hit to the head shortly after the start of the second period.

Rob Edwards issues Luton Town fitness update ahead of Oxford United clash

Chong and Andersen are both going to be unavailable for Tuesday night’s game against Oxford, according to the manager. Mengi hasn’t been ruled out yet, but Edwards said that his knee injury needs to be looked at ahead of the match.

“We’ll see how T (Teden) is,” said the boss, via The Lutonian. “It’s not as bad as we first feared or he first feared. He’s obviously had one or two issues with his knee.

“In the last game of the season he felt it and was out for a period of time as well, so we’ll see how he is. There’s a chance that he could be OK.

“I think it really felt more than something and that concerned him as well, so he did the right thing.”

Edwards is hoping for a swift-ish return for the other two casualties from Friday night.

The Luton gaffer said on Chong: “Unfortunately, Chongy will be a no for tomorrow. And then we’ll see. There is a scenario in the correct time frame that he could be available for the weekend, but not for tomorrow.

“He is a big player for us, but it’s an opportunity for someone else. And that’s how we’ve got to see it in these moments. The good thing is, he’s not missing for a long period of time.

“Mads will be a no,” added Edwards. “He won’t be out for too long, I don’t think, but it’s just a slight muscular strain. We’re hoping only a couple of weeks.

“It’s incredibly frustrating for him. He’s been on that cycle for quite a long time, and he’ll be pretty cut up about it.

“He’s very positive person, he’s a deep thinker and and yeah, it hurts him. I saw him very briefly this morning. You can see he’s down. But again, it’s not too long, thankfully, so hopefully we get him back with us in the coming weeks.

“Unfortunately for Mads, for whatever reason, it’s just that he’s had a few (injuries) now. He’s just not been able to sustain that period once he’s come back and and stay fit for whatever reason.

“It’s a different injury to what he’s had before as well. It’s not really a new injury or anything like that. Really, really frustrating for him.”

Carlton Morris isn’t expected to return to action in midweek either, with Edwards said that playing him wouldn’t be worth the risk of the further damage it could cause.

He urged supporters to get behind Elijah Adebayo, who has come in from some criticism amid his goalless start to the season, and added that he will be starting against Des Buckingham’s side.

Luton Town are in a sticky situation amid injury issues and loss of form

With the injuries facing this team, and the run of form that they are currently on, things really aren’t looking good for the Hatters.

This side that was in the Premier League last season currently sits on seven points from as many games after their return to the Championship.

Edwards is starting to come under more and more pressure, although the adversities that he has faced with managing the health of this squad has to be taken into account when assessing the job that he is doing.

Luton are a very well-run operation; it has been for many years now. Things will surely turnaround, but, at the moment, they are certainly in the middle of one of their roughest patches in the last few years.