Who is MK Dons' new head coach Paul Warne?

It had been thought Paul Warne was ruled out of the running to take over at MK Dons.

Reports surfacing on Friday had claimed the ex-Rotherham United and Derby County man had turned down the job after interviewing for it last week, the truth though in fact means he will be standing in the dugout on Good Friday as the club’s new head coach.

League Two is something of a drop for the 51-year-old. The majority of his near decade-long managerial career has been spent in League One, with dabbles in the Championship, racking up 425 games in charge of the Millers and the Rams, both of whom he has taken from the third into the second tier.

But when it comes to promotions, few have more on their CV than Warne.

A midfielder by trade in his playing days, Warne made just shy of 300 appearances for Rotherham in two spells before retiring from playing in the summer of 2012. He remained at the club though, taking up a coaching role.

In November 2016, following the sacking of Kenny Jackett, Warne took over as temporary Rotherham boss while they struggled in the Championship. Though he oversaw their relegation, he was given the permanent job that summer, sparking a remarkable spell for the club.

During nearly six seasons in charge, he oversaw three promotions - all of them from second place in League One - and three relegations, yo-yoing between League One and the Championship. The most recent of those came in 2022 when the Millers pipped Liam Manning’s MK Dons to automatic promotion. They also lifted the EFL Trophy at Wembley Stadium in the same season.

Later that year though, Warne would leave the New York Stadium for pastures new, dropping back into League One to take over Derby County as they sought their way back to the second-tier. Narrowly missing out on the play-offs by a point that season, as Dons were relegated to League Two, Warne described his first campaign as a failure at Pride Park.

A season later though, he would be celebrating yet another promotion from second place in League One, beating Carlisle United on the final day of the season to send the Rams back into the Championship.

Overhauling the side in the summer, Derby struggled to find their feet back in the division again. After losing seven games in a row at the start of 2025, Warne was given his marching orders in February, with the Rams in 22nd in the Championship.