Spending a possibility, not a necessity in Dons’ recruitment process

Harry Darling’s move to Swansea on Saturday is understood to be worth more than £1m to MK Dons but Liam Manning has said not all of the money can go back into the transfer kitty for next season

There will be money to splash on players this summer, but Liam Manning wants to keep fans’ expectations in check as they draw up their wishlists.

While Harry Darling’s move to Swansea City has brought the club in seven figures, and January moves for Matt O’Riley and Andrew Fisher also lined the Stadium MK coffers, Manning has warned not all of the money will go directly back into his playing squad.

“There will be a certain amount reinvested,” Manning said. “But it's not as simple as 'we sell for his, we have that much to spend' - it's not as straight forward as that.

“Jack Tucker will cost us a fee, some of the others we're in for will cost fees but most importantly is the clarity we have for what we want to recruit. It doesn't always come down to spending money.”

So far, Dons have signed Tucker from Gillingham, Matt Dennis from Norwich City and Ethan Robson on a free transfer following his release from Blackpool, but they remain thin on the ground.

Manning said there is progress being made all the time on bringing new players to the club, saying: “We have to add. In terms of permanent deals, we'll be looking to add more to the group. We want to add in the coming weeks.

“Liam (Sweeting, Sporting Director) is doing a terrific job with the rest of the recruitment guys. We challenge each other, but we're all very aligned and we know what direction we want to go in and the players available to us.”

While Dons were able to make good use of the loan market last season, adding Premier League talent to their ranks for the campaign, Manning said those deals will happen later in the window due to the top flight sides returning to pre-season training later than their League One counterparts.

He added: “We lost five loan players so straight away that leaves you short. Premier League clubs aren't back yet so that's something that will have to happen later in the window.

“We did a terrific job with the loan players last year, and we'll be looking to get the right ones in again, not just jumping at the first one available.”