Following an interview with Mike Williamson, the MK Citizen confirmed that Max Dean, Jack Tucker and Filip Marschall are back in training and could be back in the manager’s plans for MK Dons’ upcoming trip to Stockport County on Saturday.
The Buckinghamshire outfit have just seven games left to play in League Two and automatic promotion is still a possibility. This article looks at the potential impact the three players could make as they return to the fray.
Max Dean:
The most notable missing player in recent games has been Max Dean. The young striker has enjoyed a breakthrough season, earning his place ahead of experienced players such as Mo Eisa and Ellis Harrison. In his 22 league appearances, Dean has contributed with 9 goals.
However, the 20-year-old has been missing since the beginning of February. MK Dons have struggled to replace him, though fellow youngster Matt Dennis has recently started to find form, just as Dean looks set to return to the team.
Despite being a known goal-scorer, Dean offers a lot more to the side than just his ability to put the ball in the back of the net. He’s a highly energetic player who will press hard to unnerve opposition defences but he’s also a selfless creative force through the middle of the pitch, often dropping into deeper positions to exchange passes with his teammates.
This allows another attacking player to run into the space created behind Dean and opens up the opportunity to rotate positions mid-attack, making MK Dons harder to defend against.
With this in mind, it seems likely that Mike Williamson would want to include Dean as soon as possible. The striker could make an appearance off the bench against Stockport before returning to the starting XI for the rest of the season.
Unless Dennis continues his scoring form, there’s very little to stop Dean from getting his place back and becoming a crucial player for the remaining games.
MK Dons Face Nervous Wait Ahead Of Pivotal Stockport County Tie
Jack Tucker:
It’s safe to say MK Dons have been short on numbers at the back in the absence of Jack Tucker. In their last game at home to Crewe Alexandra, the centre-back trio consisted of Warren O’Hora, MJ Williams and Daniel Harvie, only one of whom is a natural centre-back. Due to the emphasis on playing possession football, the likes of Anthony Stewart and Tommy Smith have been left unused despite being available, to the point that the latter left the club in search of game time a little closer to home.
This is where Tucker is different. At the start of the season, he was deployed in the middle of the back three, operating as the main ball-playing defender as well as the sweeper for opposition attacks. Unfortunately, the 24-year-old’s season was halted when he picked up an injury in an FA Cup tie against Reading back in November 2023. He was close to a return in January but suffered a setback which has kept him out of action until now.
Having been out of action for so long it’s hard to see Tucker making an immediate impact. It would be safer to ease him back in slowly, especially now that O’Hora has adjusted to playing in the middle of the defence where Tucker previously operated. MK Dons also have club captain Dean Lewington available and he’ll most likely take one of the spots on the bench for the Stockport game.
This would probably leave Tucker out of the squad for this game. However, MJ Williams has struggled at times playing centre-back instead of his preferred midfield role so this could mean Tucker finds his way back into the starting XI, it just probably won’t happen against a promotion rival at this stage of the season.
Filip Marschall:
Loanee goalkeeper Filip Marschall was signed by Mike Williamson in January to replace Craig MacGillivray as the starting choice keeper for the remainder of the season. He played five games before disappearing from the squad, having picked up an injury at home to Accrington Stanley in the middle of February.
Despite playing the full game, Marschall was assessed for his injury after full-time and it was decided that he would need a few weeks to recover.
Since Marschall’s been gone, Michael Kelly has taken over in goal despite joining the club as an emergency third-choice goalkeeper. The Irishman has settled quickly into the side and has been in fine form of late, even saving two penalties in the space of a week. He’s proven to be a capable shot-stopper, though he’s not quite as reliable with the ball at his feet.
Now the Aston Villa loanee is back in training, Kelly’s place in the team is at risk. Marschall was brought in for his ability to pass the ball out of defence even whilst under pressure. Though MK Dons fans haven’t necessarily been convinced by his ball-playing abilities, the 20-year-old was brought in to be the first-choice keeper and there’s a reasonable chance he comes back into the side.
The only thing preventing Marschall from going straight into the team is Kelly’s form. Given the way he’s playing, it seems likely that Kelly will get to keep his place until he has a poor game. At that point, Marschall may be considered again.
Will it help MK Dons?
These are all difficult decisions for Williamson to make but I think come the end of the season, all three players will have played more minutes for the club. The good thing about having all these players available again is the amount of options it gives the manager and he could be facing a headache over who to drop in order to fit these returning players into the team. Whether the right decisions are made only time will tell, but it certainly gives MK Dons a fighting chance of securing an automatic promotion place.