MARVELOUS Nakamba is set to play his first English Premiership game in 16 months when Luton Town travel to face Brighton tomorrow.
The Zimbabwean midfielder last featured in an EPL game on May 22 last year for Aston Villa in a 2-3 defeat to Manchester City.
He joined Luton Town on a permanent basis after impressing on loan as he helped them qualify for the Premiership. Nakamba is set to feature alongside England international, Ross Barkley, in midfield after he signed for the Hatters this week.
The 29-year-old, capped 33 times for England, was a free agent after leaving Ligue 1 club Nice this summer.
“I’ve been told about the togetherness by the manager and Gary Sweet, and I know Marvelous Nakamba really well, and they all spoke really highly about this club.
“Coming to a club that has come from the Conference to the Premier League, a team that plays with no fear and with a mentality to win excites me.
“It means everything to be back, I’ve been playing in the Premier League since I was 17, so to get an opportunity to come back with a team with a lot of ambition is great for me and I’m over the moon.”
Luton boss Rob Edwards insists there is absolutely no shame in his Town side being written off as the league’s relegation fodder before a ball has even been kicked this season.
Their odds to go down are at 4/11 with SkyBet, which makes them the favourites for the drop.
“That happens every year with whoever gets promoted through the play-offs, so that’s nothing to be ashamed of.
“However long this has been going on for and the play-offs, that will be the same everyone who gets promoted through the play-offs will be written off.
“Sheffield United are getting written off, there’s no shame in it, we are one of the smallest clubs who have ever been promoted and fine, it’s no problem.
“We were written off last year, no-one was really talking about us last year, it was Middlesbrough, Middlesbrough, Middlesbrough and look what happened.
“So it’s no problem, we can only control what we can only control and that’s trying to get enough points and perform well.”
The recent history is on Town’s side though as last year Nottingham Forest triumphed at Wembley, going on to finish in 16th place, as before that Brentford stayed up too in 13th.
In fact, nine of the last 18 sides who have gone through the play-offs have managed to stay up. – Sports Reporter/Luton Today