Sports / Local
Knee injury sidelines Nakamba
28 Dec 2023 at 02:24hrs | Views
WARRIORS captain Marvelous Nakamba missed Luton Town's dramatic 3-2 win over Sheffield United at Bramall Lane on Tuesday due to a knee injury.
He has now missed three matches in a row for Luton Town, including back-to-back English Premier League wins over Newcastle United (1-0) and Sheffield United.
The Zimbabwe international made the permanent switch to Luton Town from Aston Villa in July having been a fan favourite during his six-month loan spell at Kenilworth Road in the 2022/23 season as Nakamba contributed to their promotion to the Premier League through the Championship play-offs.
This season, Nakamba has started all 13 games (out of 18) that he has featured, lasting the distance in 10 of them and being subbed off in three.
His record so far includes nine fouls won, 24 fouls conceded and five yellow cards, which resulted in a one-match suspension last week.
Having picked the fifth yellow card in the 2-1 defeat to Manchester City, Nakamba was supposed to sit out the match against Bournemouth. The match was however, abandoned in the 59th minute after Luton captain Tom Lockyer collapsed on the pitch with the teams deadlocked 1-1.
And when the Premier League ruled that the match would be replayed in full, Nakamba's one-game suspension was carried over to the home game against Newcastle United.
The knee injury then delayed Nakamba's return to the team and he will now be assessed ahead of Luton's next game at home against Chelsea on Saturday –it will be the day's early kick off at 2.30pm.
Meanwhile, Luton striker Carlton Morris reported an alleged racist comment from the crowd during their Premier League game at Sheffield United on Tuesday, his club said, an incident which is currently investigated by the police.
The player reported the comment to the match officials in line with Premier League protocols, Luton added.
"The matter was dealt with immediately by both Sheffield United and South Yorkshire Police, who are currently investigating," Luton said in a statement.
"We would like to thank both Sheffield United officials and the police for their swift actions in dealing with today's incident."
The Premier League condemned the incident in a post on social media.
"Racism has no place in our game or anywhere in society and we encourage anyone who hears or sees discrimination to report it so action can be taken," the league said on X.
"We will offer our full support to Carlton Morris and Luton Town FC, as well as continuing to work with clubs and authorities to ensure our stadiums are an inclusive and welcoming environment for all."
Jack Robinson and Anis Ben Slimane scored own goals in the final 13 minutes as Sheffield let a late lead slip and lost 3-2 to fellow strugglers Luton at Bramall Lane.
He has now missed three matches in a row for Luton Town, including back-to-back English Premier League wins over Newcastle United (1-0) and Sheffield United.
The Zimbabwe international made the permanent switch to Luton Town from Aston Villa in July having been a fan favourite during his six-month loan spell at Kenilworth Road in the 2022/23 season as Nakamba contributed to their promotion to the Premier League through the Championship play-offs.
This season, Nakamba has started all 13 games (out of 18) that he has featured, lasting the distance in 10 of them and being subbed off in three.
His record so far includes nine fouls won, 24 fouls conceded and five yellow cards, which resulted in a one-match suspension last week.
Having picked the fifth yellow card in the 2-1 defeat to Manchester City, Nakamba was supposed to sit out the match against Bournemouth. The match was however, abandoned in the 59th minute after Luton captain Tom Lockyer collapsed on the pitch with the teams deadlocked 1-1.
And when the Premier League ruled that the match would be replayed in full, Nakamba's one-game suspension was carried over to the home game against Newcastle United.
The knee injury then delayed Nakamba's return to the team and he will now be assessed ahead of Luton's next game at home against Chelsea on Saturday –it will be the day's early kick off at 2.30pm.
The player reported the comment to the match officials in line with Premier League protocols, Luton added.
"The matter was dealt with immediately by both Sheffield United and South Yorkshire Police, who are currently investigating," Luton said in a statement.
"We would like to thank both Sheffield United officials and the police for their swift actions in dealing with today's incident."
The Premier League condemned the incident in a post on social media.
"Racism has no place in our game or anywhere in society and we encourage anyone who hears or sees discrimination to report it so action can be taken," the league said on X.
"We will offer our full support to Carlton Morris and Luton Town FC, as well as continuing to work with clubs and authorities to ensure our stadiums are an inclusive and welcoming environment for all."
Jack Robinson and Anis Ben Slimane scored own goals in the final 13 minutes as Sheffield let a late lead slip and lost 3-2 to fellow strugglers Luton at Bramall Lane.
Source - Reuters
