Impressive Lawrence swaggers into Lindsey's plans for MK Dons

Defender Nico Lawrence’s first appearance since the opening day of the season was a welcome return action for MK Dons, and one which gave head coach Scott Lindsey food for thought during the win over Morecambe.

The 20-year-old on loan from Russell Martin’s Southampton went under the knife following his league debut for Dons and had been sidelined since until his name appeared on the starting line-up to face Morecambe on Saturday.

Setting up in the middle of the defensive three, Lawrence was quick to lead the line, bark orders and take the ball from keeper Tom McGill as Dons played out from the back. Winning his aerial battles and reading the play excellently, Lawrence eased through the game as Dons went on to comfortably win 3-1 at the Mazuma Stadium, drawing praise from Lindsey in the aftermath.

“He was so powerful, so assured on the ball and he will only get better with the more games he plays,” said the head coach. “We really like him. Sometimes it's horses for courses, we picked Nico because we knew they'd have some big lads at the top of the pitch, but he's staked his claim now.

“I like the way he is around the place, he's got a bit of swagger about him, a bit of belief which I want to see more of - I think it's from being from south London! I've not seen loads of him because he's been on the treatment table, he's only really trained for a week and it was a bit of a gamble to play him.

“As a defender, you don't run as far but you have to stay mentally focussed. I felt he could get through the game.”