James Tilley? The 4 AFC Wimbledon players that need to prove a point in pre-season or risk 2024/25 axe | OneFootball

FLW lists 4 AFC Wimbledon players that need to show their worth in pre-season or risk being axed ahead of the 2024/25

AFC Wimbledon are back preparing for the 2024/25 season this week, and with that, will come decisions surrounding the squad.

While there are the pre-prepared incomings and outgoings, there are going to be some players that are an unknown going into the upcoming season, and will need to be using pre-season to prove they are worthy of a spot in the squad.

So we at FLW are listing four players at the Dons who will, arguably, be playing in pre-season in hopes of proving a point to manager Johnnie Jackson so that they don't face being axed from the squad.

James Tilley

Starting off with what feels to be the obvious choice, but James Tilley will need to prove he can recapture the form he showed in his early months at Wimbledon in order to force his way into Jackson's plans for 24/25.

The former Brighton and Hove Albion youngster arrived at the Dons and instantly lit up the Plough Lane pitch, scoring seven and assisting four by November 2023. However, since early January, he has not registered a single goal involvement in all competitions, and found himself ousted from the starting XI in the remaining months of the season, appearing mainly from the bench.

He will need to make sure that through the Dons' many pre-season friendlies before 24/25, that he can be the dynamic winger that fans got used to early on in his Wimbledon career, cutting inside and whipping in dangerous crosses or unleashing ferocious shots. Especially now with Jackson seemingly building his squad to play a 4-3-3 formation, ideal for a winger like Tilley, or otherwise he may risk being sold off already, in order to bring in funds to potentially hire a better, and more consistent, replacement.

James Ball

In a stark difference to Tilley, James Ball never truly got his chance in 23/24, with Jackson often favouring a midfield pairing of Jake Reeves and Armani Little. This meant that the Bolton-born midfielder was reduced to bit-part roles throughout the season, with his main run of games coming in February when the Dons' midfield suffered a small injury crisis.

Therefore, the pre-season ahead of 2024/25 will be a brilliant chance to prove to Johnnie Jackson that he can feature much more regularly and play a huge role in what the Dons will hope is a promotion-winning season.

This task will, however, be a lot more difficult with the Dons looking to have a stacked midfield already, having added Callum Maycock and Alistair Smith to a midfield containing the likes of Jake Reeves.

However, as mentioned with Tilley, Jackson could be looking to change up his tactical formations ahead of 24/25 and favour a three-man midfield in a 4-3-3 lineup, or even deploy a midfield diamond in a 4-4-2, which would mean Ball could feature a lot more often, with the likelihood of rotation being high.

Pre-season then, will be a huge indicator whether Ball can be that option, or whether his remaining time at the club will be spent elsewhere on loan, or possibly even sold.

Josh Neufville

In truth, Josh Neufville probably won't be in too much danger of being axed ahead of 24/25, as the winger, for all his lack of goal involvements, generally had a positive impact when on the pitch last season, with his pace proving extremely dangerous on the counter-attack.

However, he is unlikely to feature in any first-team plans going forward, if he does not rid himself of the rawness that sometimes plagued him at points last season.

While fans adored his turn of pace, his end product and first touch, especially since the turn of the year, have not been good enough and often led to attacks breaking down before they had even started.

He deputised in a few different positions throughout the season and will certainly be a useful option for Jackson in the new season, no matter what. However, his first team involvements hinge on his talents being honed ahead of this pre-season, and there will be hope that the player that many know is in there, can appear in what could prove to be a big season for the Dons.

Aron Sasu

Sasu is pretty much in the same situation as Neufville, with the Croydon-born academy graduate not likely to be axed from the club completely before 24/25, especially now he has signed a new two-year deal at the club.

However, there is a feeling that if he does not show a bit more maturity when given the opportunity in pre-season, then it will be likely that he will depart on loan for the first year of his new deal.

He certainly will have a point to prove as it took a while for Jackson to pay attention to him last season, with the winger not appearing consistently until January of the 23/24 season. But in return, Jackson will want a much better return than the zero goals and assists he registered in his 20 league appearances last season.

So, therefore, pre-season will also be a good chance to show that he can have faith placed in him to come in and play when more senior players need a rest or are injured, especially as, with his 6ft 4in frame, he could potentially deputise up front as a striker, or equally be deployed in his favoured position, on the wing.