Belgian experience was a positive one for Aneke

Not many British footballer risk heading overseas to cut their teeth, but in part three of his interview with the MK Citizen, Dons attacker Chuks Aneke says England isn't the only place to get spotted.
Chuks AnekeChuks Aneke
Chuks Aneke

You'd be forgiven for needing a hint to pick out Waregem on a map, but the western Belgian town was where Aneke packed his bags and headed off to in 2014 as he signed for the Essevee.

His time overseas he described as a positive experience. Making 30 appearances in his first season, Aneke was ready to make his mark in the second season before a knee injury ruled him out of the game for 12 months.

"It was a positive experience," he said. "I went there and didn't know what to expect. I played quite a bit in the first season, but got injured in the second at a vital time, very early on in the season. But it just didn't work out there.

"If you look at foreign leagues like Belgium and Holland, a lot of players go there and get moves to higher levels. It's all football, and there's always someone watching, like a scout. But England isn't the only place in the world, and playing in Belgium was an experience."

His chance with MK Dons came in the summer, who gambled on the injured 23-year-old. But coming in and heading to the treatment room rather than the training pitch took some getting used to for Aneke.

He said: "I wanted to come back to England, and I was interested as soon as I heard about MK Dons. I'd played against them and some of the players so I wanted to come.

"It was a weird experience coming in because obviously I had a lot of new team mates, but I was not really playing with them. That was new for me, but the staff here have been fantastic with me, and so have the lads, from the day I signed.

"I'm very happy being here and to the club for giving me the opportunity."