Four Luton Town players headed off on international duty following Saturday's fixture at Sheffield United, with Reuell Walters withdrawing from the England Elite League Squad with a knock sustained during the match at Bramall Lane.

Defender Mark McGuinness is in line for his first senior Republic of Ireland cap in the UEFA Nations League fixtures away to Finland and Greece. The 23-year-old Slough-born centre-back is no stranger to the Irish international set-up, having won 13 caps with the Under-21s.

But this is the first time our August signing from Cardiff has been named in Heimir Hallgrimsson's full squad, and he heads to the Helsinki Olympic Stadium on Thursday, then the Georgios Karaiskakis Stadium in Athens on Sunday, with both matches kicking off at 7.45pm BST.

Midfielder Marvelous Nakamba makes his return to the Zimbabwe squad for their AFCON 2025 Group J double header against Namibia on Thursday (2pm) and Monday (5pm).

With neither country able to host matches on home soil, both fixtures are being played in South Africa at Johannesburg's Orlando Stadium. Thursday's game will be played behind closed doors with Namibia reportedly unable to afford the cost of allowing spectators into the ground, while the Zimbabwe 'home' tie on Monday will be open to fans.

Marv, 30, has not featured for the Warriors since the end of last year when he won his 26th cap in a 1-1 World Cup qualifying draw with Nigeria, with the midfielder then ruled out for the remainder of the 2023/24 season after playing against Manchester City the following month.

The other Hatter selected in the England Men's Elite League squad, Zack Nelson (pictured below), had his first taste of international football last month when he played for the side formerly known as the Under-20s in the win against Romania at Stockport County's Edgeley Park.

This time around, our academy graduate is in contention to add to that maiden cap in the Young Lions' Euro Elite League fixtures away to Italy and at home to Czechia.

Thursday's game in Lazio is a 5pm kick-off at the Stadio Benito Stirpe, home of Serie B club Frosinone Calcio, before returning to these shores to take on the Czechs at Doncaster Rovers' Eco-Power Stadium next Monday, 7pm kick-off.

Also away on England duty is Joe Johnson, with this camp marking the first anniversary of his initial call-up to the U18s last October, ahead of the World Cup he went to with the U17s the following month.

Now in the U19s, Joe (pictured below) is the first Hatter in action this week with a friendly against Portugal lined up for a 6pm kick-off at the Marbella Football Centre in Spain on Wednesday, with matches against the Netherlands (Saturday - 6pm) and France (Tuesday - 11am) to follow at the same venue.

Good luck, lads!