Bright future for MK Dons' academy, says Rubio

Edu Rubio believes MK Dons fan have some exciting prospects coming through the ranks that could break into the first team soon.
MK Dons U15sMK Dons U15s
MK Dons U15s

The former Head of Academy Coaching said he saw a lot of positives throughout the age groups last season, and believes there are players in each age group that are capable of making the grad eat a higher level.

With young talent emerging across Milton Keynes, scouts have been out regularly to recruit players to the U9s squads, while the likes of Ben Tilney, Callum Brittain and Brandon Thomas-Asante have had breakthrough years in the first team.

And recently, the U15s hosted Manchester United at Stadium MK in front of more than 3,200 fans.

Edu RubioEdu Rubio
Edu Rubio

But despite losing the match 3-0, Rubio said: “The Manchester United game wasn’t the best performance from the U15s and didn’t do them justice, but we didn’t perform on that day.

“But it’s great exposure for what we do and showed we’re doing a lot of work in the academy.

“This year has been very good, but there are different ways of rating success in academies.

“We’re looking at whether we are developing players who are capable of playing in the first team - that’s our job: to get players into the first team.

Edu RubioEdu Rubio
Edu Rubio

“We managed to get four out of eight players from our academy into the first team.

“That’s very, very good, and it’s four players who can play too. We’re convinced they have the potential.

“We have two or three players in each age group what we believe can make the grade.

“In the U9s, we’re getting more out there, getting relevant players from as young as possible, learning the MK Dons way. We want them to see the whole journey with MK Dons.

“The future looks really bright.”