Collar and Mendez-Laing a few weeks away from making MK Dons returns
The pair have both been undergoing rehab on their hamstring injuries suffered in December
Reinforcements are on the horizon for MK Dons after Will Collar and Nathaniel Mendez-Laing have begun warming up with the first-team squad in training again.
Guatemalan Mendez-Laing hit peak form for Dons in the run-up to Christmas, scoring six goals in five games before suffering a hamstring injury in the 1-1 draw with Cambridge United in December.
Collar meanwhile went down two weeks later on Boxing Day in the win over Swindon with a similar hamstring problem. The former Stockport man is undergoing a scan on Thursday to see whether he can up the intensity of his training and begin featuring more regularly with the first-team, offering hope for head coach Paul Warne that his return, as well as that of Mendez-Laing, is nearing.
He said: “Will Collar has a scan today to see if the healing on his hamstring is sufficient enough for him to start sprinting. He’s already on the grass, and he warmed up with the team, as did Mendez.
“I feel pleased for them because I know once they start warming up with the squad, it starts to feel closer for them.
“I’m led to believe once they start sprinting again, it could be two or three weeks. I don’t think they’re far away.”
Top-scorer Callum Paterson though looks to be out for a significantly longer period with the ankle injury he suffered against Newport County, but there is positive news regarding strike partner Aaron Collins ahead of this Saturday’s clash with second-placed Cambridge.
Warne said: “We’ve got a couple of issues we have to try and address before the weekend, which obviously I’m not going to share, but Aaron Collins is back and looking good in training so that’s a boost. Jack Sanders is back training for a longer period of time which is good.
“Pato is a long way off, hopefully we’ll see him before the end of the season. He’s still in pain and still in the boot, so that will be a longer journey.”