Dean Lewington is pleased to be back at Stadium MK and is keen to keep focus on the future as MK Dons prepare for the 2023/24 campaign.
Lewington & Co reported for pre-season training this week, as they begin their six-week programme in build-up to the 5 August – their opening-day fixture away at Wrexham at the STōK Racecourse.
Heading into his 20th season with MK Dons, Lewington caught up with iFollow MK Dons to discuss the return to work and his mentality heading into 2023/24.
“It's nice to be back and to see some new faces and meet the new boys,” the 39-year-old said.
“So far, (Graham Alexander has) been setting out the ground rules, what he expects from us as players and as a group. It's pretty basic stuff really. From what I've picked up so far is that he's a good bloke and he's straight forward in terms of what he expects, so I'm looking forward to working with him.
“It's nice to have new faces in the building. We're looking to settle them in, make them feel welcome and introduce them into the way we do things here and make them feel a part of it.
“It's exciting to have some young lads from the Academy involved. It gives a good feeling around the place and I'm excited to see them push on and do well.”
He added: “We've got a new manager, new players and it gives us a new feel, so we can't touch too much on last season now. We've all had our say, but we have to move forward.
“One thing we want to do is build a new connection with the fans, which we lost last season. We've got to try our best to reconnect, and that starts here, with them watching us working hard. We have to make a conscious effort to connect with them again.”
On what he expects from Sky Bet League Two next season, Lewington commented: “The leagues are improving all the time. There are teams all over spending a lot of money so, coming down, we don't expect to have it all our own way - it's a really tough league.
“Wrexham have a bigger budget than most League One teams, especially with the calibre of player they have, so to have that first up is going to be tough especially at their place. But, it's a game you definitely look forward to and it's an exciting start for us.”
