'Impeccable' Townsend will be involved for Luton at Forest but Bell remains absent

Luton’s ‘impeccable’ new signing Andros Townsend is due to be involved in his first Premier league clash for over 18 months this afternoon as Town head to Nottingham Forest, but defender Amari’i Bell remains out.

The 32-year-old winger, who has had a glittering career to date, playing over 250 top flight matches for Spurs, Newcastle, Crystal Palace and Everton, also winning 13 England caps, scoring three times, joined the Hatters earlier this month on a short term deal after his Goodison Park exit in the summer.

Despite having achieved what he has in the game, Townsend has already made a huge impression on manager Rob Edwards in his brief stint at Kenilworth Road so far, and is now in contention for a place on the bench at the City Ground, as Luton go in search of some crucial top flight points.

Edwards said: “I’ve been really impressed, really impressed.

“He’s a brilliant human being, really humble, very respectful, very knowledgeable and intelligent as well.

“I think you meet him and you‘re impressed by him straight away.

"He’s a really impressive man, but then ultimately we want somebody who can affect a football match for us as well, and we believe he can do that.

“I’m not saying that’s going to be straight away, he will be involved, but we hope he can make that impact for us and his attitude, I think the word has been impeccable, he’s just a class individual.

“He’s a really fit guy and he is used to Premier League football.

"I know it’s been quite a while since he’s been able to play and play consistently at the level, but I hope it doesn’t take too long.

“He will be involved, we’ll look to integrate him and see what kind of impact he can make, but I think it’s important that people don’t expect too much too soon.

“Even though he’s got that name and he’s got that quality, he’s done what he’s done, we push too much too soon, we don’t want to break people.

“But he’s got bags and bags of quality, both feet, real expertise in and around that final third so hopefully he can create one or two moments for us.”

Questioned further on just what he expects Townsend to bring to the Hatters, Edwards continued: “Quality, he’s a really good footballer.

"He’s a brilliant person, really experienced at this level and I think he brings with him a real professionalism.

"He’s someone who knows the level, he’s brilliant around the place, impeccable training attitude and knowhow, so he brings a lot of qualities to us.

"We’ve got to make sure now that we get things right and he’s a very fit individual, naturally fit anyway.

"He looks after himself, but there is a difference between being fit and being match fit, so we’ll try and get that bit right, because we hope he can make a real impact for us.

“I’m all about the right personality and the right people, in any walk of life, or any business, whatever you’re in.

"I like surrounding myself with good people, people I trust, and he’s certainly one of those.”

Although Townsend is expected to feature in the match-day squad this afternoon, Jamaican international Bell is due to miss his second successive match after suffering a hamstring problem in the recent 2-1 home defeat to Burnley.

Despite his problem exacerbated by the amount of football he has played in the last few years, having a full part in the Hatters’ promotion to the top flight, while also turning out regularly for his country, Edwards, who won 15 caps for Wales himself, wasn’t about to stop anyone from doing the latter, adding: “Amari’i is out but he’s close, he won’t be too far away now.

“That’s part of the game, I suppose Amari’i is one example of that.

"He’s just had a little bit of an injury and he’s someone who’s had the international football and not much of a break for years, playing week in week out for us as an important player and then travelling, but it’s an amazing achievement to be selected for your country.

"I was lucky enough to do it a few times as a player and coached in international football as well, so I encourage players to go and do it.

"We send them with our best wishes, you want them to go and do well, you just hope that they come back fit and well and thankfully we didn’t pick up anything from the lads that went out.”