"I have to get him on the pitch": Nemane's attitude is a benchmark for Warne

Aaron Nemane’s attitude over pre-season should be a marker to the rest of his MK Dons team-mates, says his head coach.

The 27-year-old Frenchman looked on course for departure from Stadium MK this summer with big recruits brought in in attack, and a departure from the wing-back setup where Nemane had played most of his football for the club.

Determined to make an impression on Warne though, Nemane’s pre-season performance, as well as his attitude to training, gave the head coach a difficult decision to make - how to fit him into his plans.

Coming off the bench against Cheltenham after an impressive show against Bristol City, Nemane fired home Dons’ fifth of the afternoon, and crucially his first for the club which only stands him in better stead with the top brass.

“Everyone at the football club was buzzing that he got his goal,” said Warne afterwards. “He’s had a really good pre-season, I was really impressed with him. He got himself into my good thoughts because of how well he trains. He trains so well, I think I have to get him onto the pitch.

“That’s a message to the dressing room: don’t get your agent to phone me, that’s pathetic. You train hard, and the coaches think we have to pick him.

“He was brilliant against Barrow and he did well at Bristol City too when one of the Championship’s best wingers came on.”

Another man scoring his first goal at Stadium MK was Callum Paterson. The ex-Sheffield Wednesday man hit the post before scoring, and came within inches of a second on the stoke of half-time, and turned provider for Rushian Hepburn-Murphy in an excellent display in only his fourth outing for the side.

Warne continued: “He’s brilliant for the dressing room. When you bring in senior pros, you have to be careful who you bring in. You’ve got to get people who are motivated to succeed and he is that. His dedication to his craft is pretty phenomenal.

“I didn’t like managing against him, which is why I fell in love with him really! He’s great around the place, he’s a nice kid!

“He’s most of our focal point, he’s a target mobile nine. He should be really proud of his performance.”

Captain Alex Gilbey too drew praise from the head coach after he bent in a brilliant goal, his second of the season and in as many league games.

Warne added: “He’s been brilliant, he’s a brilliant captain. Every time I’ve tried to make a signing, I’ve told him. He’s a really good leader on and off the pitch and I think he deserved a goal today.

“As soon as he hit it, I thought ‘goal’ because I was right behind it and it shaped really perfectly for him.”