Albert Sambi Lokonga returned to the Luton Town squad and came off the bench against Manchester City on Sunday, after an extended injury absence.

Arsenal loanee Albert Sambi Lokonga returned to Luton Town’s squad on Sunday, after a long time out with an injury.

Lokonga confirmed his own injury back in late September, announcing that he would be out for a couple of months. Right on schedule, he was back on the bench against Manchester City this weekend.

It’s possible Lokonga was also fit to face Arsenal earlier this week, but he would have been ineligible for the match either way, given he’s still only on loan.

Instead, Lokonga came on as a second-half substitute for Luton against Manchester City.

Luton had led City earlier in the match, but they were pegged back and fell behind before Lokonga’s introduction.

The Arsenal man was unable to turn the game around, but he had a positive impact, completing all nine of his passes including two of two long balls, winning three of his four duels and making two tackles.

Lokonga had also picked up an injury in pre-season, initially preventing him from making an appearance for Arsenal or Luton until mid-September.

As a result, he went five months without a competitive game before his debut, and was then ruled out of action again two games later.

The Belgian will hope his on-field return leads to a run in the team over the coming weeks and months.