Banished from first team at Luton Nakamba still gets Warriors call-up

By Agencies

LUTON midfielder Marvelous Nakamba has been named in Zimbabwe’s squad for the Warriors’ upcoming World Cup qualifiers next month.

Zimbabwe face a tough ask to reach the tournament held in Canada, Mexico and the United States, as they sit bottom of Group C after six matches, although they have only lost two of them, picking up four draws.

Despite a lack of first team football this term, Nakamba, 31, has still been called up by head coach Michael Nees.

The Warriors captain hopes to add to his number of 29 caps, the last of those coming in a 2-1 Africa Cup of Nations qualifying loss to Cameroon in November 2024, when Zimbabwe head to Benin on Friday, September 5 at 5pm and entertain Rwanda the following Tuesday.

The former Aston Villa and Club Brugge player has found things tough at Kenilworth Road in recent months, and faces an uncertain future, as after starting six of Matt Bloomfield’s first eight matches in the Championship last term, hasn’t featured since the 2-0 defeat at Watford in February.

Having made 37 appearances after joining Luton permanently in July 2023, the midfielder could be on his way out of Bedfordshire before Monday’s transfer deadline passes, despite playing 45 minutes for the U21s in a 2-1 success over Leyton Orient recently.

Bloomfield had said about Nakamba’s chances of featuring this term: “Like a few others, there’s been a lot of speculation and interest in him from elsewhere, so it’s been a slow pre-season from him.

“Marv’s working his way back to full fitness, he’ll be considered like anybody else, but he’s just a little bit away from his full fitness right now.

“He can’t train every day of the week like some of our others because he had a knee injury a couple of years ago and he’ll be available as and when he’s at full fitness.”