Mengi could soon be in the mix at Luton after impressing Town boss following Manchester United switch
Luton boss Rob Edwards has declared that recent addition Teden Mengi could force his way into Town’s Premier League XI in the coming weeks if he can maintain the high levels he has shown in training since arriving with the Hatters.
The 21-year-old joined from Manchester United just before the transfer window shut earlier this month, leaving Old Trafford after 15 years with the Red Devils, agreeing a permanent move to Kenilworth Road.
Mengi hasn’t played a great deal of first team football in his career to date due to a number of hamstring injuries, with two loan spells at Birmingham and Derby yielding 19 appearances in total, while his two Red Devils outings came in European competitions, totalling 34 minutes, meaning he has limited senior experience under his belt.
However, since heading to Bedfordshire, the defender, who has played for England at U15 to U20 level, has already caught the eye of Edwards with his efforts at the Brache, and with Luton’s defence conceding nine goals in three top flight games so far, he is giving himself every chance of earning an opportunity to tighten up Town’s back-line.
Edwards said: “T has trained really well.
“We brought T in, obviously for the here and now, but also for the long-term future as well.
“He’s a fantastic age, already, he’s a real physical specimen as well, but he has had one or two issues in the past so we’ve got to make sure that he’s ready.
“He’s looking really, really good at the moment.
“There’s not as much pressure on him to have to come in and play, but he’s looking very, very good and he’s certainly in the mix.
“If he consistently trains as well as he has been, he has to be in the mix for selection because he’s looked very, very good.
“But I’ll repeat, again, he’s a young player, one or two injuries in his recent past so the pressure’s not there as much to have to come in straight away and perform.”
With Luton only having one naturally left sided centre half fit at the moment in Jamaican international Amari’i Bell, on whether Mengi can fill in on that side of the back three, Edwards continued: “He can do any of those three slots.
“That’s why we were really keen to bring him to the club.
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“He’s a very, very talented young player, athletically looks brilliant, and he’s really going to suit us.”
The inability to dig out clean sheets so far this term, or at least keep the goals against tally down, which was always expected coming up against Premier League attacks, is something that Edwards knows will need to be rectified if Luton want to give themselves any chance of staying in the top flight.
When asked what is required to begin picking up points, he added: “Stop letting in goals and score more!
“To win games of football you’ve got to be able to defend well and take opportunities when they come.
“Clearly, to concede nine goals in three games is too many.
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“We’ve got to make sure that we become more defensively solid and not give too many good chances away.
“We did that well in the main against West Ham at home.
“There were definite improvements there, but still, the two goals we conceded were too easy, which is not like us because we were very, very good at that last year.
“So, that’s certainly an element that we need to improve on.”
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