Two separate yet innocuous injuries delayed the Welshman’s start to his MK Dons career

Moving to a new club is always tough, but suffering a lengthy time in the treatment room made Aaron Collins feel like an outsider at MK Dons.

The 28-year-old arrived at Stadium MK from Bolton Wanderers in the summer as one of the club’s marquee signings, but an innocuous fall - “the same way I’ve fallen hundreds of times” - to fracture his shoulder sparked a delay to the start of his Dons career.

A hamstring tear just a few days after his September return then sidelined him further, with the Welshman admitting he feels he has barely had the chance to feel a part of things at his new club.

“You feel like you’re an outsider,” he admitted. “You see your team-mates every day, but you feel a bit on the fringes because you want to be on the grass with everyone else on the Saturday, you want to be in the changing room.

“It has been tough. I’ve had no big injuries in the past, only little ones which have kept me out for a game, max. Mentally, I realised what a lot of lads go through when they have recurring injuries. I can now put myself in someone else’s shoes.

“A lot of people outside of football don’t realise how mentally draining being injured is. You’re paid to play, you’re here because of your love of the game, you want to do it every day so when it’s taken away, it’s a kick in the teeth. You’re stuck in the same place doing similar things and all you’re itching to do it get back with everyone.”

Missing the most part of the campaign until his return two weeks ago, Collins admitted he is not a patient spectator when it came to watching Dons in his absence, adding: “It’s a bit easier because they’ve been doing well, but it has been hard.

“Sitting on the sidelines watching the boys has been frustrating. You’re dying to get involved, and when things aren’t going your way - the games against Grimsby and Walsall stick out to me - you want to get back out there to help out.

“Everyone deals with it in different ways, I have stayed positive throughout and now I’m ready to come back and make up for lost time.”