Liam Manning name-checks Brentford as he outlines future plans at MK Dons | OneFootball

Milton Keynes Dons have been one of the most progressive and well run clubs in League One and Two for a number of years and have a good chance of achieving promotion to the Championship this season.

Russell Martin leaving the club, to join Swansea City, on the eve of the season was a major blow, but the Dons acted swiftly to bring in Liam Manning, ex-Lommel and West Ham United U23 manager, to fill the void and continue the upward trajectory of the team.

The brand of football has largely remained the same with younger players being targeted to help the long term view of the club and to give them a chance of making the leap to the second tier.

Manning was asked about the ambition and direction of MK Dons when he appeared on The Official EFL Podcast.

He said: “What we’re recruiting now makes us the second youngest (squad) in League One.

“If you look at January for example, we sold Andy Fisher to Swansea, we sold Matt O’Riley to Celtic and we had some of the young lads who were on loan, go back.

“We’re recruiting players now who have potential to get better and improve, they’re nowhere near their peak.

“For me, when you look at it, we’re recruiting talented young players that are inexperienced but their ceiling is a lot higher.

“Similar to a Brentford model, if player’s journeys accelerate quicker than the club are able to provide, then inevitably they’ll move on.

“Hopefully then, when and if we get to the Championship, then we’ll have a young squad who’re able to step up.”

Barnsley, Luton Town and most notably Brentford, have been trailblazers for the success of data-driven recruitment in recent years and how finding value in the transfer market can facilitate an overperformance on the pitch, compared to the club’s history and size off of it.

The Verdict

Quiz: Are these 19 MK Dons facts genuine or fake?

1 of 19

MK Dons managed 65 points in 2020/21.

True False

Watch this space, while larger clubs in the third and second tier struggle to grasp the nettle and accept that their recruitment structure is flawed, the likes of Plymouth Argyle, Oxford United and MK Dons are currently out-performing traditionally more successful clubs like Sunderland, Sheffield Wednesday, Ipswich Town and Charlton Athletic to bolster their bids to make the leap to the Championship.

Liam Manning was a hugely left field appointment that has turned out to be a resounding success so far and the Dons can hold hope that they will remain involved in an unlikely automatic promotion tilt until the final weeks of the season.