Warne wants forwards to raise their game as Collins lurks for a start
The striker’s comeback will make waves in the MK Dons squad
The return to fitness of Aaron Collins should put MK Dons’ attacking cordon on high alert, just what head coach Paul Warne wants.
The 28-year-old summer signing from Bolton Wanderers has barely kicked a ball for his new club this season after suffering two separate injuries which have kept him out for all barring four cameos this term.
Forced to watch on from the sidelines as Rushian Hepburn-Murphy, Nathaniel Mendez-Laing and Callum Paterson lead the line, Collins has had to bide his time in the treatment room but is now chomping at the bit to get amongst the goals.
Top-scorer for League One side Bolton Wanderers last season, and dubbed one of the best finishers the head coach has seen, Collins’ return, the head coach hopes, will see a raise in the performances of those currently ahead of him in the pecking order as they fight to keep their place in the side ahead of the waiting Welshman.
“If you’re starting in front of him, you know you have to be at your best because he will come on,” Warne said. “And if he comes on and he’s better than you, you’ll be having a word with the manager the next Friday.
“Having these higher echelon players come back lifts the standard in training. I know if I was playing and I had Aaron Collins waiting to take my shirt, it would add a bit more to my performance.”
While Dons supporters have barely been able to catch a glimpse of one of the marquee signings of the summer in the shirt this term, his capture made waves as one of the biggest in the division, with few doubts as to his calibre as he looks set to properly start his career for the club in the coming weeks.
Warne continued: “I’ve convinced him to come here, to drop a league to help us get promoted and he hasn’t really been able to get his fingerprints on anything yet. He’s a talent I hope people enjoy watching.
“I haven’t signed him from nowhere, he’s not an unknown quantity, he’s got unbelievable feet, he can create goals and chances from nothing. He’s very athletic, and he’s a winner. He’s had a promotion out of this league before, so I know how determined he is to get another.
“As an all-round footballer, he’s a great addition to the team and the squad, and the lads are pleased to have him back.”