Robbie Neilson is eager to get the players back this week as he begins his first pre-season as MK Dons manager.
The Dons squad return to Stadium MK for testing on Tuesday before their first training session ahead of the 2017/18 campaign on Friday morning - and boss Neilson is excited to get going after a long summer break.
“I’m looking forward to it,” Neilson told iFollow MK Dons. “You finish up at the end of the season and you have a couple of days when you relax but then you’re just itching to get back at it again.
“I’m excited to getting the players in for training and start building something. When we came in December we were straight into the games so we didn’t get a chance to really implement a lot.
“Pre-season gives us six to seven weeks to train hard and guide the players how we want them to play. It gives us a chance to set the tone about how we want to train and the types of things we want the players to do.”
He added: “I’ve spent the summer planning every session right through to the first game so that when we come in, everyone knows exactly what we’re working on. We have to slowly progress how we want to develop the team and what we want to implement.”
So what can the players expect on day one?
“On the first day of pre-season there’s always that trepidation because they come in and not know what to expect.
“It will be a tough pre-season but everything we do will be geared towards that first game of the season – the ball will come out on the first day.
“We’ll also have a sit down and have a chat about where want to get to and how we’re going to get there – the style of play we want to implement and how we’re going to change things. Then we’ll start to build it from there.”
mkdons.com and iFollow MK Dons will be covering the players' return to work all week - stay tuned for interviews, photos and videos - click here to sign up for an iFollow MK Dons Season Pass!
