Former England U16 boss Dan Micchiche has been appointed as the new manager of MK Dons following the dismissal of Robbie Neilson. Micciche will be assisted by former Bristol City manager and Crystal Palace caretaker manager Keith Millen. Club captain Dean Lewington will step into a player-coach role.
Dan Micciche Appointed as New MK Dons Manager
Past Experience
Micciche joins the Buckinghamshire club in the middle of a relegation battle after Neilson’s nightmare start to the season. The Dons find themselves 21st in League One, going into the relegation zone after a 2-1 loss to Northampton.
Micciche, 38, has previously been employed by the club as their Head of Academy Coaching and has spent time with the FA not only as a manager but also as a coach and Development Technical Lead.
Micciche is widely known for his work with the England youth setup. He has worked with some of the country’s most promising young players, such as Phil Foden, Jadon Sancho and Fulham’s Ryan Sessesgnon.
Speaking to the MK Dons website, Micciche expressed his delight at being appointed:
“I’m so proud to be named manager of MK Dons. This Club has done so much for me and we had such good success together during my first spell. Milton Keynes is also my home – I’m living in the area and my kids have been brought up here too.
“It’s been a whirlwind 24 hours but we’ve got a lot of work to do now. I understand the position we are in – it is not the position we want to be in – so first and foremost, our priority is to make sure we bring some confidence and belief back to this squad so we can begin climbing that league table.”
The Dean Lewington Situation
Having been exiled from the squad after a reported bust-up with Robbie Neilson, Dean Lewington made his return to the club last night, captaining the U23 side to a 3-1 win over Forest Green Rovers.
Chairman Pete Winkelman said this of the captain’s new role:
“I’m really pleased to welcome back club captain and legend Dean Lewington, who will take on a newly-introduced role of player-coach. Dean’s commitment, experience and genuine passion for the Football Club will be invaluable to us as we look to turn our fortunes around and get back heading in the right direction.”
Lewington himself had this to say:
“I’m happy to be back. I’m excited to be part of the new venture and as a player-coach, I’ll be look to help where I can.
“First and foremost, though, we need to get ourselves out of the position we find ourselves in so it is all hands on deck. There is a lot of good players in the squad and if we can get ourselves going then we can definitely do something.”
Micciche’s first game in charge will be the FA Cup fourth round tie against League Two side Coventry City. He then faces two successive away games in the league, against Walsall and Rochdale respectively.
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