Milton Keynes Dons have offered 10 apprenticeships for next season, the Club is delighted to announce.
Jacob Daffern, Amiel King, Gedeon Okito, Ben Tilney, Luke Tingey, Kabongo Tshimanga, Laurence Vaughan, Aaran Weston, Kyran Wiltshire and Giorgio Rasulo, who made his first team debut aged 15 earlier this season, will form the first-year scholars for the 2013/14 campaign while Jay Taylor has been offered an extended schoolboy registration.
The highly-rated youngsters should already be well-known to the Dons supporters, having impressed in the two Academy Challenge matches this season. All 10 of next year’s apprentices have already featured for Mike Dove’s under-18 side on numerous occasions this season.
The group will be based at stadiummk full-time from July as they look to develop and improve their skills as they progress down their roads to becoming professional footballers. They will link up with current first-year scholars Remy Forrester, Harry Hickford, Will Summerfield, Kelvin Osei-Addo, Jon Osae, Ben Grant, Brendan Galloway and Dele Alli to form next season’s Under-18s.
Director of Youth Dove praised the ten new apprentices when speaking to mkdons.com and revealed his excitement at being able to work them all next season and beyond.
He said: “We’ll have eighteen apprentices next year which is the biggest group we’ve had. We’re now starting to get a good depth of player, with Amiel, Jacob and Ben having been with the Academy since 2005.
“Both next season’s first and second year scholars have played together before during their time as Under 15s and Under 16s and as such, they have formed an excellent camaraderie on and off the pitch, so it’s quite an exciting prospect to be able to work with these boys.
“Our task now is to prepare them for working full-time, which will bring a much higher level of expectation. They’ll also have to face different challenges, challenges that are difficult to replicate as a schoolboy.”
Milton Keynes Dons would like to wish the 10 new apprentices all the best as they embark on this exciting phase in their footballing careers.
The Club would also like to give thanks to released duo Kyron Walsh and Jake Lloyd, along with their parents, for their effort and commitment during their time with the Academy and wish them well going forwards.
