Manager is 'very harsh and critical' of Darling

Dons boss Russell Martin is extremely critical of Harry Darling when the MK Dons defenders have team meetings.

The 21-year-old joined the club from Cambridge United in January and has become a firm fixture in the heart of the defence. Tipped by many to have the attributes to play at a higher level, Darling has impressed the likes of captain Dean Lewington with his offerings on the pitch thus far.

However, Lewington said though Darling is picking up a lot of deserved plaudits for his displays this season, the manager is arguably his harshest critic.

"Russ works extremely hard with all the centre halves, we look at ways of getting better," Lewington said. "He's very harsh and critical of H, but he sees the massive potential in him.

"It's no surprise that he's a very good player and he has all the attributes to go up the leagues. If he can get all the bits together, he'll keep developing and getting better. It's very exciting for the club to have someone like that in the ranks."