Speaking to Luton Today, Luton Town manager Graeme Jones has insisted that he believes it was the right decision to play goalkeeper Simon Sluga straight away after joining from Croatian side HNK Rijeka.
Simon Sluga joined Luton Town in a £1.2 million deal earlier this summer, signing from HNK Rijeka. Since joining, he has come under fire for some of his errors in between the sticks. The 26-year-old started in each of the club’s first 11 Championship matches but having kept no clean sheets and made a few costly errors, James Shea has started the last five games.
But, manager Graeme Jones has defended his decision to play him from the get-go. He said:
“I wouldn’t have this knowledge if I hadn’t have started him straight away, so we’re further down the line in terms of getting the best out of him by starting him. It cost us a few goals. I think Simon would admit to that as well, but you don’t sign someone for one point two million pounds and not play them.
“If you think about his Middlesbrough game when he makes a magnificent save and then lets one in afterwards, that was just the story of his early season. That doesn’t mean it’s going to continue like that.
“I think it (picking up his second international cap for Croatia) boosted everybody. It’s good to get him back on a pitch again, as we took him out for different reasons. He looks bright and he made some good saves in training today. “
Jones went on to discuss how the club have been helping Sluga since dropping out of the starting 11, saying:
“We’ve tried to give him a bit of help in other areas, remember he’s settling into a new country and its not straight-forward for anybody. So I think he’s in a far better place now than what he was five weeks ago.”
