Striker heaps praise on Barry after recent Dons performances

Will Grigg predicts Aston Villa loanee Louie Barry will have a big future in the game after beginning to show his true colours at MK Dons in recent weeks.

The 19-year-old former Barcelona academy attacker struggled to make a consistently positive impact on Liam Manning’s first-team after signing in the summer.

But after a spell out the side, Manning brought Barry in from the cold, forming a decent-looking attack force alongside Nathan Holland, in behind striker Grigg. And so far, Dons have looked a more significant threat.

Barry’s performance on the whole have been a marked improvement too, spurred on by his eagerness and, at times, desperation to find the back of the net – something he did to break his duck against Derby County a couple of weeks ago.

And though Dons’ current league position does not make for comfortable reading, Grigg predicts Barry has a big future ahead of him.

“He’s got a massive future,” said the striker. “It was a bit different for him when he first came in - he had a good year at Swindon but it took him time to get going here. But we’ve seen in the last four weeks what he’s about.

“He’s quick, he can drive with the ball, he’s a really tricky and creative player. I know he was frustrated not to have scored before the weekend too.

“He’s such a great kid, he loves football, he’s a genuinely really nice lad. We were all so pleased for him to get that goal to get it off his back.

“I know he was thinking about (scoring his first goal for the club), and he had a few chances the week before too. The longer it goes on, it does play on your mind, but to get his first goal was great for him. Hopefully he goes and gets a few more.

“We’re a possession-based team but in the final third we have to break teams down, and that freedom is there to go out and express yourself. Louie has shown that in recent games. He’s not afraid to go and try something, so if he gives it away, no one will shout at him, but encourage him to go and do it again.

“He’s got a bright future. He’s willing to learn, which is a massive thing and the gaffer has created a good environment for him to do that here. I’m sure we’ll see a lot more of him throughout this season.”