Town boss Kieran McKenna says Jaden Philogene returned to training yesterday following his ankle injury, while he expects Azor Matusiwa to be fine for Sunday’s home game against Southampton and gave an update on new signings Jens Cajuste and Chuba Akpom, as well as longer-term absentees Wes Burns, Conor Townsend and Harry Clarke.

Philogene hurt his ankle in the final pre-season friendly at Auxerre and as a result missed the games at Birmingham and Bromley. But McKenna says the former Aston Villa and Hull man is making progress.

“He trained yesterday, so he's made a good recovery,” he said. “Seems to be a quick healer with a couple of things that he has had.

“How much involvement he'll have, whether it's from the bench or to start, how many minutes, we’ll decide over the next 24 hours. But he got through training yesterday, which was a big boost.”

Matusiwa wasn’t involved at Bromley as he had a tight groin following his Championship debut at Birmingham.
 
“Hopefully,” McKenna said when asked whether the Dutchman will be OK to face the Saints.
 
“It was just a response to, probably, the increased load and the intensity on Friday night. It wasn't a possibility to involve him on Tuesday, but hopefully he keeps continuing in the right direction over the next 48 hours and he'll be ready for involvement on Sunday.”

New loan signings Cajuste and Akpom joined the club having had little pre-season, although with the Ajax forward ahead of the Napoli midfielder.

“They're not ready to contribute as much as what we would like on the match pitch, that's the truth,” McKenna said.

“Both have had very disrupted or minimal pre-seasons, really. In Jens’s case, almost a minimum pre-season, so we're working through that process at a moment with him. 

“But he's a naturally fit player with a lot of ability. Whether he can have some involvement this weekend, we'll wait and see.
 
“Chuba, a really disrupted pre-season, followed by a week pigeoned-up in a hotel, which isn't ideal when you've not had the pre-season. 

“He's one we need to be really careful with. He trained with the group in the early part of the week, but had some sort of muscle tightness and fatigue after those sessions. So we need to be really careful with how we progress him. 
 
“We have to make decisions with a long-term view going into the weekend, as much as it's a really important game and we want players ready to contribute. 
 
“We'll make the right decision over the next 24 hours about what his contribution will be and work to get him up to speed as quickly as possible, but as safely as possible for a really big season, but a really busy season. 
 
“Ideally, they both would have been arriving fully ready to play and start matches straight away, but that's not been the case. That means that we've got to manage the period in between as carefully and prudently as we can.”

McKenna says right winger Chieo Ogbene has come through the opening games well as he made his return from the torn achilles which ended his season in October, despite being unexpectedly required from the start in both games, playing 138 minutes across the two matches.

“He's feeling good physically, which is good,” McKenna said. “Thankfully, no ill-effects so far.

“I think it's probably two-sided. I think from a football point of view, would you want to put him in that situation so quickly, playing the two games back to back, or would you rather have had him in Birmingham ready to come off the bench and throw himself into it for 20 minutes? I think you'd rather have had him ready to come off the bench, to be honest.

“On the other side, for him personally, getting two games in pretty quick succession and getting through the minutes and not having any ill-effects after, touch wood, I think that's a big positive. 

“I know he feels better after the two games and seems to have come through them well. It's probably been a pretty steep integration, but it's been what has been necessary, really, for the team at the moment and he seems to have come through it well.”

Regarding Clarke, who suffered a knee tendon injury in pre-season, McKenna says quite how long the right-back might be out for isn’t yet entirely clear.
 
“It's still a little bit up in the air, to be honest,” he said. “It's a tricky injury, so it is a possibility that it might not be too long and it could be in over a few weeks, and there's a possibility it could be longer.

‘We’re hoping for the shorter scenario, but it's still at a point where you can't really tell which way it'll go.”

Townsend has had his ACL surgery and McKenna expects the left-back to be out for the whole season.
 
 “He had a surgery and all went well, so that was a positive,” McKenna said. “I think with that injury, you're talking about that sort of timescale. Nothing's impossible, but I think realistically it would be unlikely that it would have too much part to play this year.”
 
Burns, who suffered an ACL injury of his own in January, is still a little way off, McKenna says.
 
“I think there's the return and then the return with these injuries, but he's progressing really well, working hard, doing all the right things,” the Blues boss continued.
 
“Everything being really, really smooth from hereon in, then hopefully he could be back training with the group at some time in the autumn before we go into the winter period.

“But there are different hurdles and steps to take along the way, so we don't want to put any sort of pressure on the timescale on that one.

“It has to be right, get the injury 100 per cent and we'll be really glad to have him back whenever that time comes.”

Photo: Matchday Images

jas0999 added 16:07 - Aug 15 The importance of doing business early in the window and also ensuring adequate. Replacement for sales quite clearly demonstrated by where we are. Going into game three of the season and some players aren’t fit enough. Hopefully, this won’t be used as an excuse. It’s up to th club to ensure we have the players available (barring injuries). As the favourites to the win the title, a home game, anything less than three points would for me, be disappointing.

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slade1 added 16:10 - Aug 15 I have never known a situation at the start of a season where so many players cannot play due to this reason or that reason.
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TimmyH added 16:14 - Aug 15 Jeez! Wes Burns still seen as a long term injury with his torn ACL back in late January...wouldn't at all surprise me if Philogene is soon back in the physio's room, he needs to hit the weights.
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PortmanTerrorist added 16:16 - Aug 15 Of course you haven't slade1. That's because we have not been relegated in modern era; this is how it generally is with relegated teams but most get their #### together by the first International window and that is from when we should start to be judged....both on the pitch and for our summer recruitment.
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Cookieboy added 16:17 - Aug 15 Fellow bloggers, you must realise now, that it take weeks to integrate. Jens knows the system, but it is the same old story or can I say excuse
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virginblue added 16:17 - Aug 15 You can only do business when teams are ready to sell and players want to move. Easiest thing in the world to say “we should have done it earlier”, but until they sort the farcical transfer window out then this is how it’s going to be.
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SamWhiteUK added 16:19 - Aug 15 "Pigeoned-up"? Cooped up, perhaps? Or pigeon-holed?
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TownSupporter added 16:21 - Aug 15 Anyone else a little concerned that if none of the new signings are that close to playing, we may find the next number of games difficult? We have had 2 poor performances so far and the transfer window has not installed much/if any confidence really.
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Reuser2000 added 16:38 - Aug 15 Town supporter. Very concerned. The core of the team has been ripped too shreds, new signings not ready too play, still need a few quality signings when Omari has gone. I do t think we will be up and running until end of September with a settled squad. Tough few months ahead
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itfc2024 added 16:44 - Aug 15 trust us to leave signing to last minute and then have to wait another 4 to 6 weeks for those to be up to speed club is becoming a joke again
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Bazza8564 added 16:49 - Aug 15 KM will always play down people returning from injury. Saw this last season and suddenly they start. He doesnt let the oppo manager know too much so Im convinced there are red herrings all over the place in this, so Im expecting (praying) Cajuste and Jaden to start, even if it's for an hour. High priority to get a fast start at home too
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Reuser2000 added 16:52 - Aug 15 Hope your right on that one bazza
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Carberry added 17:03 - Aug 15 Terry Butcher said the same as most people on here, why are we signing players who aren't match fit. I would suggest it is because our recruitment net isn't very wide and alternatives don't exist.
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Karlosfandangal added 17:22 - Aug 15 Is KmK being very cagey over what the side will be or is he waiting till mid September be for we start to see the side Town will be playing. Just hope Town are not too far off the pace by the time KmK fields the best side
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Karlosfandangal added 17:25 - Aug 15 Need 28 wins and 11 draws to match the last Championship season……think it’s a play off year
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ITFC_1994 added 17:35 - Aug 15 Back to back promotions. Favourites to win the championship. Best young manager in the league (possibly country), great young squad... but clubs becoming a joke again because we have a few injuries at the start of a season after year we've been relegated and finished our season later than everyone else in the league. OKAY THEN.
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