Russell Martin insists his every member of his MK Dons squad begins with a clean slate, following his appointment as manager.
Martin takes charge of his first Sky Bet League One match this weekend when his side take on Bolton Wanderers at the University of Bolton Stadium.
Speaking to the media in his pre-match press conference, Martin revealed he had a starting XI in mind for Saturday’s contest but will keep an open perspective over the whole squad when it comes to naming future line-ups.
“As soon as I became manager, I told them I wanted to treat them with a clean slate,” Martin said.
“I've learnt loads about them in these last two weeks. I know a lot about them anyway, having played with some of them for eight months, and I'm not judging them any differently as people, but the role I'm in now is different - I'm sitting on the other side of the fence and am seeing the bigger picture.
“I've picked bits up, which have changed my opinion on some of them as players, but I'm open to be surprised by people and having them change my opinion for the better. It's a great thing if that happens.
“I'm not one to rule people out and I'm open to changing it. I have to be as objective as possible, and look at it on a game-by-game basis. I'll always tell people why they have not been picked to work on it to get picked for the next game.”
He added: “We have got a really good group here and I just want to make them believe in themselves again and show what good players they are.”
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Tickets for Saturday's Sky Bet League One clash with Bolton Wanderers can be bought at the University of Bolton Stadium ahead of kick-off. Tickets are priced at £20 adults, £12 seniors/under-23s and £10 under-18s.
Can't make the match? Not to worry, you can listen to live commentary on iFollow MK Dons for just £2.50 - click HERE to purchase an Audio Match Pass!
