England Under-21s star Tom Ince says MK Dons will always hold a special place in both his and his father’s hearts.
on Thursday as part of the England Under-21s side which beat Finland 3-0 in front of 19,807 people.mkstadiumInce, son of former Dons boss and England skipper Paul, returned to
After the victory the Blackpool winger caught up with MK Dons Player and revealed that the Football Club will always have a special connection with the Ince family.
The 21-year-old said: “It had been a few years since I’d been back. When we came here before the game, I saw the stadium fully built. The Chairman and the whole Football Club has done fantastic.
“Karl Robinson too with the young players he’s got. He’s trying to nurture them in to play at a very tough level and they’ve always been in and around the top. Hopefully this season, whether it be through the play-offs or by getting into the top two, they can get over the finishing line.
“This Club will always have a connection with the Ince family with my old man coming here. Winning promotion from League Two was a fantastic achievement for him and this Club.
“My old man still looks out for the team and keeps in contact with Karl and the Chairman as well. This Club holds a big place in our hearts in the Ince family and so it was nice for me to come back here and play on this turf.”
The stadiummk crowd on Thursday was the largest the England Under-21s have played in front of on home soil this season and Ince was keen to praise the 19,800-plus fans who turned out to show their support.
“To see almost 20,000 people was absolutely unbelievable and it’s one of the biggest crowds we’ve played in front of this season; to have that attendance is great. You could see it really helped the lads.
“This is a fantastic stadium and it’s all suited for a higher level. Not many players will be fortunate enough to play in stadium’s like this and it’s great that MK Dons can give us that opportunity.”
Finally, Ince offered an update on former MK Dons defender Gary MacKenzie, who now plays his football with the young England star at Blackpool.
“Gary MacKenzie’s been our player of the season so far. You guys had him at your place and what a fantastic player he is. He’s a player who could probably go up another level and it’s very surprising that he’s not been picked for the Scotland squad.”
