Trio of Dons likely to miss out on Oxford United clash

Harry Darling looks set to join Max Watters and David Kasumu on the sidelines for MK Dons’ game against Oxford United on Saturday.

The defender pulled up after a run forward on Wednesday night against Plymouth feeling him hamstring, and was withdrawn at half-time as a precaution by head coach Liam Manning.

Watters has missed the last three matches with an injury to the sole of his foot which he suffered against Sheffield Wednesday, while Kasumu has also been out since the trip to Hillsborough.

Manning confirmed assessments are continuing on Darling’s situation while offering an update on the others when speaking to the media on Friday.

“Harry has a slight hamstring strain so we’re still assessing him,” said Manning. “He wanted to continue on Wednesday but with something like that, we have to be cautious. If he does it fully after that, it’s a much longer-term injury than if we took him off at half time.

On Watters, he said: “He's still heading in the right direction but isn't quite where we want him to be. The injury is a unique one, on the sole of his foot. If you rush those, it's not something you can really play through or with, it will constantly irritate. We're working on him, he's getting better but ideally it would be quicker.

And with Kasumu, Manning added: “David was ill at the start of the week, which was probably a good thing as it gave him more time to heal. He's on a 'return to play' programme and is getting closer as well.”