David Wright has enjoyed working with MK Dons’ new arrivals and has already been impressed by their efforts on and off the pitch.
Ten new arrivals have come through the door at Stadium MK ahead of the 2022/23 campaign, with the latest incoming that of striker Will Grigg who is back at the Club for a third spell.
Speaking on his role in helping the signings adapt to life at MK Dons, Assistant First-Team Coach Wright was full of praise for the group of ten.
“We knew we'd have a big turnaround in the summer and Liam Sweeting and the gaffer have been really busy bringing players in, so it's now down to us to teach them the way and the style we want to play,” Wright said in his press conference on Thursday.
“We've got enough time but, importantly, the boys are bright and hungry to learn, which makes it so much easier to work with. The new lads want to play, they're confident and want to get on the ball.
“They've had a positive start but the life of a footballer is that you're always trying to prove yourself in every training session and every game. Even when you're one of the top players, you're always trying to prove yourself.”
MK Dons will play King’s Lynn Town this Saturday as well as a behind closed doors friendly with Norwich City Under-23s on Friday afternoon.
Looking ahead to the two matches, Wright said: “We've got a busy weekend and the players will get some minutes and we'll get to see them live in matches to see what they've picked up. We'll see, unit-wise and team-wise where we'll need to tweak as well.
“Some of the lads will get 90 minutes, some of them 45 but we're managing them still as best as possible to keep them developing so they're ready to rock and roll at the start of the season.”
Here is what else Wright had to say in his press conference…
On adding more players…
“We're in a good spot. We're waiting on what more recruitment there is to come, but we've got plenty of time. The window is open for a number of weeks yet, we don't need to rush anything in but be patient to get the right person.
“In an ideal world, you'd have your perfect squad in on the first day of pre-season training but that doesn't happen. Loans for us will be important but a lot of the Premier League teams are still away on tours so it won't be until they get back that we'll know the availability. But there's plenty of time left.”
On being flexible with formations…
“We showed last year a few times we could play both systems. That shows the flexibility of the squad and the manager. It will be horses for courses, and we'll see what each game brings.”
On Matt Smith’s summer…
“It was a difficult time for him coming into the club because he wanted to get going and play every game but he's gone away, had a really good summer on international duty, and he's in a really good place. You can see he's really hungry. A good pre-season for him will see him bounce right into the new one.
“His first priority will be to get into the starting 11 every week but the end goal will be to go away with Wales, which would be a brilliant achievement for him and his family, who must be so proud of him as we are. It's great to have a player experiencing those things.
“He's in good condition, he's asking for information, he wants to get better. We've got no concerns about Matty at all.”
