Keogh was not disloyal to Dons in wanting a move away

Russell Martin does not believe Richard Keogh should have shown more loyalty to MK Dons after he spoke of his desire to move to the Championship.

The 34-year-old defender is set to join Huddersfield Town in the second tier after making 21 appearances for Dons this season.

Keogh was sacked by Derby County last season for his involvement in a drunken night out with fellow players Tom Lawrence and Mason Bennett - the latter two remained on the books at Pride Park - where he suffered the knee injury which he arrived at Dons with.

After returning to full fitness at Stadium MK, he was an established member of the side until Saturday's news broke of a move, prompting some fans to question whether Keogh's loyalty, and whether he owed them to stay after the club offered him a way back into the game after eight months sidelined.

"If you're looking from the outside, it's an easy thing to assume or come up with," the Dons boss explained. "It's a difficult one. I've thought about it, I'm not too dissimilar in age to Richard. It's a tough one.

"He was really invested in what we were doing, which I thought may have given us more of a chance to keep him here, but he made the decision and the club have got a good deal. It's not ideal for us and our team. It would have been really difficult to keep him.

"I'm not going to sit here and say he's disloyal because you learn quickly in football that when the boot is on the other foot... as he found out at Derby when he was dismissed.

"It's not a case of loyalty, but he weighed things up and the club made sure it was viable for us as well.

"I told Richard how I feel about it. I understand it. We put in a lot of effort to get him, to get him fit and get him to a place where he is performing well. Of course, I'm disappointed, but not in him, just the situation.

"I understand his desire to go and play at that level again, and he wants to have another go at it. And his other motivations because of what happened at his previous club. I'm not going to attack Richard at all. It hurts, we're disappointed and we're losing a very good player. Ultimately, it hurt us as a team as well."