Praise for Maguire after ten-week injury lay-off

Returning defender Laurence Maguire put in a stellar performance in his comeback game after missing ten weeks with a hamstring injury.

The 28-year-old had been out since Boxing Day, missing most of MK Dons’ awful run of form which has seen them plummet down the League Two table and part company with head coach Scott Lindsey.

But returning to training last week, Maguire was back in the side for Saturday’s 2-1 win over Morecambe, and barely looked like he had missed a beat, with a crucial interception in the second-half denying Ged Garner what would have been a tap-in.

“Wow, what an impact after ten weeks out,” said interim boss Ben Gladwin afterwards. “He was incredible.

“I would trust him with my kids. He takes care of everything, every detail, he defends the box incredibly, passes well, cares so much. He really tries to lead by example all the time. I'm so pleased he's come back.”

Striker Danilo Orsi, who scored the winner in the game, also praised his former Crawley Town team-mate for his comeback performance, saying Maguire can play a huge part in improving Dons’ fortunes for the rest of the season.

Orsi said: “I knew once he would get back into the team, our performances would change because of his presence on the pitch and how good he is on the ball. People can forget about that, but playing with him for 18 months, I have no doubts he is one of the best left-footed centre-halves in this league and you'll see it now as he builds himself back into the team.”