Lucketti joins Alexander in the dugout at MK Dons as assistant

Long-time assistant Chris Lucketti has joined Graham Alexander at the helm of MK Dons.

Former Preston North End defender Lucketti has worked alongside Alexander at each of his managerial appointments at Scunthorpe United, Fleetwood Town, Salford City and at Motherwell. He also has management experience himself, having led both Fleetwood and Bury.

With the appointment of Alexander as head coach at MK Dons, Lucketti said he is keen to get going at Stadium MK.

“I am delighted to be here and can’t wait to get going," he said. “I have worked with Graham for a number of years and I have a huge amount of respect for him as a person and as a head coach.

"I can see the drive and determination he has to be successful and to win – we are fully aligned in that regard.

“We both want to play a part in taking this club back to where it should be. We want to give the supporters, and everyone associated with MK Dons, a team that they can be proud of – that’s our focus and that work starts now.”

Lucketti's playing career spanned 20 years, with more than 600 games under his belt for the likes of Bury, where he made more than 250 appearances, Huddersfield Town, Preston North End, another 200+ outings, and Sheffield United before hanging his boots up in 2010.

He first worked alongside Alexander when they were players at Deepdale. Upon Alexander's appointment at Fleetwood, he brought Lucketti in from his youth team role at Preston to be his number two at Highbury Stadium.

Following the sacking of Lee Clark, Bury approached Lucketti to take over as manager at Gigg Lane, but his time there was tarnished with injury issues. With the club in the relegation zone, he was sacked after just two months. By the summer though, he had reunited with Alexander at Salford City, and the pair then worked together at Motherwell before taking up the job at MK Dons.