Luton chief reveals he is looking at re-signing Lawrence if possible
Luton boss Jack Wilshere has revealed ‘there is a chance’ that Town could welcome back Manchester City attacker Emilio Lawrence to Kenilworth Road for another assault on the League One promotion places this season.
The 20-year-old arrived from the Etihad in January, as after struggling to get to grips with the rigours of men’s football early on, went on to have a hugely impressive stint in Bedfordshire, going on to make 21 outings in total, scoring twice, including in the Vertu Trophy final victory over Stockport County at Wembley, also adding five assists too.
The Scotland U21 international hinted that he could be open to a move back down south before the campaign ended, and asked if it was something he was interested in and actively exploring, Wilshere said: “Yes, there is a chance, there is a chance. Ultimately that will be down to him and Man City, but I think he did really well. Sometimes then players and clubs think the next step is obviously to go up a league, however, I made my opinion clear to Emilio that that’s not always necessarily the best step.
Emilio Lawrence could find himself back at Kenilworth Road this season - pic: David Horn / PRiME Media Imagesplaceholder image
Emilio Lawrence could find himself back at Kenilworth Road this season - pic: David Horn / PRiME Media Images
"Spending some more time with us, he knows us, we know him, can actually propel him higher than he thinks. We’re working with that one. Again everyone knows what I think about Emilio and how much he helped us, especially towards the end of the season. He grew so much and I think when you have a player that develops that much in a small amount of time, you want to get him back because you feel like you can make them even better.”
If it isn’t Lawrence who moves to Kenilworth Road, then it could be that Wilshere returns to his former club Arsenal to try and entice some of their young starlets away from the Emirates, or should that not prove successful, another top flight outfit instead. Any incomings might not be until later in the pre-season schedule though, as Wilshere continued: “This is now my second window and my first summer window, but looking from the outside in over the years, I know that there’s always some that come up later, whether that be a loan, whether that be a loan from Arsenal or Man City, whatever that is.
"They see their pre-season as an opportunity to try some of their young players in the first team and see how they get on. Normally what happens is later, towards the end of the window, they get allowed out on loan. So hopefully we can get some work done now and get in a position where we’ve got a solid spine and we’ve added a bit more quality, but also be ready if a loan does come up.”
With the World Cup currently in the knock-out stages, and a number of top players still out in America, Mexico and Canada, the Town boss is aware that the tournament could also be another reason why any potential loan deals might not be struck until later on. He added: “There are a lot of loans that happen in League One, but with the World Cup being on and a lot of the top clubs having players there, that then gives young players more responsibility when they go back to their clubs. So I think that will probably be a reason as well that it’s a bit slower, but there will be some movement.”
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