Amidst a season where Luton Town will be striving for a Championship play-off place, they currently sit three points from sixth position.

Hoping to cut the gap when they welcome Reading to Kenilworth Road this evening, it is set to be an important game for both clubs. 

The Hatters have had to contend with key personnel missing parts of this campaign already, and whilst they have the depth to lessen the impact, these absentees have certainly been felt.

Providing an injury update to Luton Today ahead of tonight’s fixture with the Royals, starting with Henri Lansbury, Hatters boss Nathan Jones said:  “It was just a tweak of a muscle, so it’ll be a week, 10 days, whatever it is.

“It’s tough for Henri but it’s unfortunate as we can’t get a run of games out of him at the minute and that’s the really frustrating thing, with his quality.

“Henri hasn’t had a proper pre-season, so he’s susceptible when we play him.

“We have to look after him in certain games, so it’s a tough one to take really and that’s why we demand from them all the time to look after themselves and do stuff.

“Henri’s a miss when he’s not there as he gives us that control, gives us that little element of quality in there, so we’re disappointed with that.”

Jones continued to provide an update on Reece Burke, adding:  “He’s closer, but how close he is, and then it’s about risk element going into an international break.

“We’re having to batten down the hatches and making sure we get through it as we’ve got four games left now and if we get through the four games and we’re in a relatively good position, then the international break will give everyone a chance to recover.

“Coming out of there, everyone’s fit, not the long-termers, Glen Rea and James Shea, but everyone else then is fit and we can start again.

“They’ll have time off and then come back in and have three weeks where they’ll have to work hard.”

Both Lansbury and Burke have been really important to how the Hatters play this season, with Lansbury doing a job that no other player in the squad can replicate. 

When the midfielder is not involved, then the Hatters become more susceptible to being broken down easily, with the midfielder’s intelligence and grit preventing that. 

As for Burke, he is one of the division’s top defenders, however, keeping him fit for an extended run of games has proved to be a challenge for Nathan Jones and Co. 

Whilst having a competitive squad throughout, it is noticeable when the aforementioned duo are not involved in any capacity.