Dean Lewington has revealed that his return to MK Dons this summer was never really in doubt.
The captain signed a new deal on Thursday, extending his 16-year affiliation with the Dons and ensuring he will add to his 757 club appearances.
While the formalities took longer than expected to be completed due to the Coronavirus outbreak, Lewington said committing his future to Stadium MK was his one and only choice.
“It was an easy decision,” the EFL’s longest serving active player told MKFM and MK Citizen following confirmation of his contract extension.
“I’ve known it was coming down the pipeline but with all that’s going on it was put on the back burner. It got delayed and we had to wait for a while but it was never really in doubt. It’s nice now that it’s done, so we can concentrate on the football.
“I feel like I'm contributing on the pitch and I've got a good relationship with the people at the club. It might have been a bit different if I was only playing five games and it felt like they were doing me a bit of a favour.
“I’m slow enough anyway so can’t really slow down anyway! I’ve been looking after myself and I feel as good as I’ve ever done. It’s been a weird time so I’m desperate to get back playing football.”
Lewington & Co are set for their first full season under Russell Martin, following his appointment as manager in November. The skipper is excited at the prospect of what the Dons can achieve under the 34-year-old’s tutelage.
“I've really enjoyed working with Russ,” MK Dons’ number 3 said. “Russ has surrounded himself with the right people, good people – Luke Williams is one of the best coaches I've ever worked with.
“He’s brought back a lot of what MK Dons is known for, and the results and performances have improved too. While it’s difficult to say what we can do next season, there are some positive signs for sure”
Entering the 2020/21 season, Lewington needs 43 appearances to reach 800 appearances for MK Dons. The 36-year-old has averaged 47 games per season across his 16-year career with the Club and hopes to be in contention to reach that milestone next term.
"It’ll be nice to get over 800 appearances for MK Dons and I’ll be doing my best to put myself into contention to do that."
