Staying injury free will be key for Ilunga to get more Dons games

Back from his latest setback, Brooklyn Ilunga hopes he can have a injury-free season to start establishing himself at MK Dons.

The 20-year-old has made 17 appearances for the club since 2021 but has struggled to nail down a regular first-team berth in the subsequent three years.

Sent out on loan to Hemel Hempstead Town, and then twice to Wealdstone, the academy product has seen his chances limited mostly through injury - his fist spell at Wealdstone he particularly impressed the fans there, only to see his time cut short.

The wing-back made a decent impression on Mike Williamson and the coaches at Stadium MK during the course of the summer but a dislocated shoulder a week after the club’s first pre-season game forced him out of the training camp in Germany, sidelining him for nearly two months.

“I had a dislocated shoulder early in pre-season and missed six or seven weeks. But thanks to the medical staff at the club, I was able to rehab well, I feel ready to go,” he said.

“It's the main goal - to keep fit and to be available for as many games as possible, and hopefully it goes my way this season.”

Not back fit again though, Ilunga has the opportunity to feature for the first-team again, set to get a run-out in the Bristol Street Motors Trophy against Colchester on Tuesday night - a competition where he has picked up nine of his 17 appearances for Dons.

He added: “These competitions are about playing and showing the manager what you can do and trying to get yourself into the league side.

“I've featured in this competition a few times now, I'm a bit older now but it's still good for me to get some games and some fitness, and ask the manager those questions.

“The weekend didn't go how we wanted it, but we've trained well today, we're putting the game behind us and we're looking forward to getting the job done at Colchester. We'll be prepared whatever side they put out to get the job done.”