An 'educational need' for Warne to come in at MK Dons before end of season

Joining with four games of the season to go, Paul Warne hopes he can run his eyes over the MK Dons players in person before heading into the summer.

Dons are not out of trouble yet, nine points from the relegation places with 12 points still on offer. But if they match Carlisle United’s result against high-flying Port Vale on Good Friday, when Dons take on Newport County at Stadium MK, their League Two status will be mathematically confirmed.

With little to play for otherwise, Warne said the next four games will be ‘educational’ for not only himself but for the squad too as they work out who fits the mould and who does not heading into next season.

“To come in before the end of the season was an educational need,” Warne said. “I needed to come in, to feel the place, and take opinions on people already. I want to speak to as many people as I can who has an opinion, and then make my own assessments at the end. But that’s harder to do in the off-season.

“It gives me a better chance to look at the players. Realistically, all of the players start afresh, they start at 100 and I’ll knock points off for behaviours or performances I don’t agree with. I want the players to enjoy playing for us. If they do that, play risk-free, fearless, they will be better players.

“Coming in at this stage too gives us a much better chance with recruitment, a much better chance to produce a team.”

Sporting Director Liam Sweeting has previously said to the Citizen that he felt Dons were a window ahead of where they had anticipated to be following the close of the January window.

But with the appointment of a new head coach, Sweeting said the summer recruitment would ultimately boil down to where Warne thinks Dons need to improve.

He said: “We still feel like there is good quality in there, but there will be a period of assessment now for Paul, and it will be up to the players to prove to him that they’re here to help the club move forwards.”