Nathan Jones has sent an apology to Luton Town supporters after one particular moment during his spell at Stoke City.

After guiding Luton to promotion from League Two, Jones left Kenilworth Road to become manager of Stoke City in January 2019.

Luton were flying high in League One under the Welshman before he left for Staffordshire, and was even crowned the Manager of the Month for December after a series of impressive results for the Hatters.

Jones was to have his photo taken holding the award, but one thing stood out more than anything, and that was that he was wearing a Stoke training top despite picking up an award for his work at Luton.

This, naturally, upset a lot of Town supporters who found this disrespectful, and now, following his re-appointment at Kenilworth Road, Jones has issued an apology to Luton fans.

Speaking in a press conference, via Dunstable Today, Jones said: “It was an absolute whirlwind of a week, I didn’t know I’d won it until the day before.

I went and did press for Stoke, I had no other clothes on me, because literally it was a whirlwind.

"I was at the training ground, I’d taken the training session, then I had to do press, then I was told the EFL were there to take a photo.

"I either did it in a Stoke top or bare-chested, and that was a naive mistake.

"I should have not been photographed, I should have borrowed something, but the craziness of the week, it was a naive thing.

That wasn’t meant as anything because I’m very proud of what we achieved at Luton, how we developed certain things.

"Yes, that got detracted from, but at no point did I meant to cause any harm in any way.

"So if people took it that way, I apologise and I’m sorry, but I want to look forward now and not just behind.”

Jones will have a tough job on his hands as he looks to keep Luton up, with the Hatters sitting 23rd in the league standings and six points adrift of safety.

The Verdict

The reappointment of Jones is bound to divide opinions of many Luton fans, but it’s important that they get behind him ahead of the final nine games of the season as they are crucial.

He’s a very passionate manager who wears his heart on his sleeve and I don’t think he would have meant any harm wearing the Stoke top when picking up his award.

He was a roaring success in his first spell, and he will be hoping to pick up from where he left off.