Who is the Liam Manning - the heavy favourite to take over at MK Dons

Liam Manning has raced into the favourites position to take over as manager of MK Dons.

The 35-year-old is currently manager of Belgian second tier side Lommel, having taken over the position in August 2020.

Concrete rumours linking managers to the vacant hotseat at Stadium MK have been few and far between since Russell Martin left for Swansea City nine days ago, with candidates ranging from Jody Morris and John Terry to former Dons defender Miguel Angel Llera or a return for Paul Tisdale. Manning however has raced into pole position for the job by many bookmakers.

His playing career never took off, having come through the academy at Norwich City before turning pro with Ipswich Town in 2004. After just a season, he dropped out of the Football League and played non-league football until 2010.

Making a name for himself in coaching circles, Manning was a part of the fold at Portman Road again before making the move to West Ham United in 2015, where helped hone the talents of the likes of England midfielder Declan Rice. He also spent time in the USA as the academy director of New York City.

His first big managerial break came a year ago when he took over at the help of Lommel in Belgium, guiding the team to third in the standings.

SkyBet have sliced the odds for Manning to just 8/15, while BetVictor have him at 2/1.