The MK Dons boss spoke about his counterpart in the Luton Town dugout

Paul Warne might not be wholly familiar with Jack Wilshere’s managerial exploits at Luton Town but said he respects anyone willing to step into the dugout to do the job.

The former Arsenal and England midfielder marked a year in charge of Luton earlier this week, and nearly led the Hatters to the League One play-offs last season in his first season in charge at Kenilworth Road - his first top job in the EFL.

And he brings Luton to Stadium MK for the first time on Saturday to face MK Dons in what will be only the third league meeting between the sides.

Warne, on course for his 500th game as a manager next month, admitted he has not been keeping a close eye on his counterpart’s exploits over the last 12 months but said anyone who is brave enough to step up and take on the responsibility of leading a club has his respect.

“I’ve got a lot of respect for any manager because I know how hard it is,” he said. “The difference between winning and losing can be absolutely nothing.

“I’ve seen his team play this season, I hadn’t watched them before because I’m not a Luton fan, so I didn’t watch them at all last season. But I do know that all managers who are successful go on runs. After Saturday, they could win six or seven in a row and be top of the league. It’s still very early to judge.

“I know he loves the game, he loves coaching and in their performances, they look well coached. That doesn’t guarantee success as we know, and in fairness to Jack, there are another 23 good managers in this league doing the same thing.

“When you first start in the gig, it’s harder than you think, there’s more to it than you think. You need a bit of luck, your best players fit, the odd refereeing decision. Sometimes you have periods where you think you’ll never lose, or never win, and you work exactly the same through both.

“He’s at a club with big ambitions, and I reckon at the end of the season he’ll be there or thereabouts. But there are a lot of clubs who I also think that about, and it will be the consistency of the team that gets in there.”