The winger’s return has been long-awaited after being missing since the middle of December

Sitting around and waiting for his hamstring to repair was not a part of Nathaniel Mendez-Laing’s agenda during the last three months.

The Guatemalan was in hot form for MK Dons prior to his December injury when he became the latest to suffer a hamstring injury this season, scoring six goals in five games in the run-up to Christmas. But suffering the tear in the first-half against Cambridge United at Stadium MK, he has been out of action since.

Making his return against Salford City on Saturday, Mendez-Laing spent three-and-a-half months on the sidelines but his social media postings provided plenty of update on his rehabilitation progress.

Working hard with the Dons trainers, he also worked independently from the club to ensure he came back in as good a condition he could, something which has paid off.

“He’s a great pro,” said head coach Paul Warne. “His wife is a physio so he does a lot at time, and a lot of extra stuff. He looks after himself, so you know he’s as good as he can be. You can’t beat the biological clock though - if the injury takes 12 weeks to heal, it takes 12 weeks.

“He’s done everything right to be get back as soon as he can, aided by the physios here.”

Making his long-waited comeback last Saturday, there was little he could do to affect the outcome of the 1-0 defeat in Greater Manchester, but simply having him back in the matchday squad offered everyone a lift, Warne said.

He continued: “I was pleased to have him on the bench last week because he’s worth more than just what he brings on the pitch. The lads migrate to him, they respect him, and he wants to win and play in League One next season. He’s good in the warm-ups, he’s good in games, and he’s good in the dressing room.

“Understandably he’s a bit rusty behind the gills. In the good old days, we’d have had two or three reserve team games into him, but those don’t exist any more.”

With six games remaining this season, Mendez-Laing could play a big part in Dons’ promotion push, with Warne saying he is in contention to trouble the starting line-up, and is set to feature more heavily for the side over the Easter weekend.

“He’s trained well, and he’s done a bit extra today too,” Warne added. “It will be nice to welcome him back into the starting line-up when we think he’s ready. That might be Friday, it might be Monday, it might be the Saturday after. We monitor the players all the time, and we’ll see how it goes.”