MK Dons: '˜Robbie Neilson most exciting young manager in UK'

MK Dons have announced Robbie Neilson as their new first team manager. Picture: Andrew Milligan/PA Wire

The 36-year-old has been named as the successor to Karl Robinson at the Sky Bet League One club after leaving Hearts, and will officially take charge following Saturday’s FA Cup second-round match at Charlton.

He will be joined by assistant Stevie Crawford, who also worked alongside him at Tynecastle.

Neilson told MK Dons Player: “I’m delighted. It’s great to be here and I’m looking forward to developing the club, developing the players and moving the club forward.

“The most important thing for me was picking the right chairman and the right club and this was the right match at the right time - it’s a club that’s going places.

“Hopefully the fans are ready for the ride. We want to create excitement but, most importantly, win football matches. With the squad that we’ve got here, we should be winning football matches - our job is to help them do that.”

MK Dons chairman Pete Winkelman said: “I’m hugely excited. Robbie has been on our list from day one – he’s the most exciting young manager in the UK, by a country mile.

“Hearts are a good club. They didn’t stand in Robbie’s way and they made it possible. They worked with us to make sure it was as smooth as it could be, given that it’s in the middle of the season.

“He was at a big club and he was doing well at a big club so we had to get our timing right. We wanted to make sure that we would get the right person for the job and I’m so pleased to be sitting here – almost within the time frame that I gave everyone – with the man I believe is going to take this Football Club forward.”

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