Luton Town have been handed a boost ahead of their pre-season trip to Portugal with Alan Sheehan now expected to travel with the rest of his team-mates.

According to Dunstable Today, the centre-back is set to step-up his recovery from an Achilles injury which he suffered in a 3-0 victory over Accrington Stanley in April.

Speaking about the 32-year-old's recent progress, Luton manager Graeme Jones said:

“We’re going to take Alan to Portugal.

“Alan will be joining in phases of training, maybe not all of it, but he’s getting close.

“He’s done some really, really good work, he’s come through it, so we’ll have a good look at him in Portugal.”

Although Sheehan is not expected to feature in the Hatters' friendly against Maritimo at the Estadio da Madeira on July 24th, he could make his return during the opening months of the club's upcoming Championship campaign providing that he doesn't suffer any further setbacks.

The Verdict

Whereas Sheehan only managed to play a small role in Luton's title-winning season by featuring on 17 occasions in League One, this latest update is nevertheless still good news for the club's supporters.

A leader in the dressing room, the Hatters captain's wealth of experience could come in handy over the next 10 months as the club look to establish themselves in the second-tier.

Having already had a taste of Championship football before during his four-year spell at Leicester City, Sheehan will be keen to prove that he still has what it takes to perform at this particular level.

However, in order to do so, the Irishman will need to fight off competition from Matty Pearson, Sonny Bradley and new arrival Martin Cranie, who made the switch to Kenilworth Road in June after being released by Sheffield United following Chris Wilder's side's promotion to the Premier League.