Dons may need ‘another couple of windows’ before their problems are solved

The rebuilding process MK Dons began to undertake in the summer could still take ‘another couple of windows’ before the club begins to see success again, according to Liam Manning.

The huge shift in personnel in the summer saw a grand overhaul of the squad, with 14 new players added in, and a similar number heading out the door at Stadium MK too. And the transition has been a tough one, with Dons toiling in the League One relegation zone in the run up to January.

With such wholesale changes, Manning said eyes are already on January for the sort of player they should be recruiting, but warned the transfer window will not be a quick fix to the problems they have faced in the first half of the campaign, and said it might take a few more windows to get everything right again.

He said: “When we went through what we did in the summer, it was always going to be the case that it would need a couple of windows to refine and identify what we need, to see what the squad looks like to get it into a place whereby we’re able to compete and challenge.

“Even with the team last year, it didn’t just happen - people came in in stages. We’ve in the very early stages of building another team.”

And acknowledging his side needs strengthening when the window reopens next month, Manning added: “Liam Sweeting and the recruitment department are really proactive in the work they are doing.

“We can't be reactive, but proactive as much as possible.”