Losing Castilla duo is a '˜disappointment'

The pair signed from Real Madrid Castilla in the summer, with a lot of excitement and anticipation.

They played just 461 minutes between them before leaving stadium:mk this month, but quickly found new clubs on the continent.

And though he wishes the pair well in the future, Robinson is disappointed to see them leave.

He said: “I spoke to Sergio before he left and he told me he’s an even better player now because of the intensity of the Championship, and he came here as an absolute talent. It’s no surprise that both he and Cristian had a new club lined up within days of leaving here.

“They’re both really highly regarded on the continent. They’ll both have wonderful careers, and I’ll always keen an eye on them.

“It’s disappointing to lose them. We wanted to keep them, but they still might not be ready for the Championship next year either.

“There was a large part of our budget taken up with that, and if we’re trying to run the club in the right way.

“But releasing who I have already has opened up to bring one or two players in.”

But with five out, and the squad looking threadbare, Robinson recognises he needs to start bringing in fresh faces sooner rather than later, but says more will leave too.

“There’s a shelf-life for what we’re doing and we have to move forwards,” he said. “Hopefully soon, we’ll be able to implement to talented players into the team, rather than the squad.

“I still have four or five left to go, but the ones we have cut are the younger ones on the periphery of things.”