IN OPPOSITION:
MILTON KEYNES DONS MEET THE BOSS:
LIAM MANNING
Following the early season departure of Russell Martin to Swansea City, MK Dons turned to Liam Manning to take over in the hotseat. Not a familiar name with many supporters, he’ll be looking to make his mark with MK, having already made an encouraging start to the League One campaign. Manning, who played for Ipswich Town and Icelandic side Selfoss during his playing career, began coaching in 2006 with the Tractor Boys where he progressed from Head Coach of the Under-13s to the club’s Lead Youth Development Coach. In December 2015, he joined West Ham United, initially as their assistant Academy manager before serving as Head of Coaching and, later, taking charge of their Under-23s. Manning was part of the Hammers setup that won the 2016 Premier League Cup as well as promotion to Premier
League 2 Division One. What’s more, players such as Grady Diangana and Declan Rice emerged from the West Ham Academy during his four years in the capital. In April 2019, he joined the City Football Group and was named Director of Coaching for the New York City Academy although he was quickly promoted to Academy Director. During his short time in the US, Manning led NYCFC to a second consecutive U.S. Soccer Development Academy Under-19 National Championship. The following summer, Manning was appointed Head Coach of Lommel SK, where he was tasked with rebuilding a team who had won just six games during the 2019/20 season. As well as implementing a new style of play, he also guided them to a third-place finish, one spot shy of a promotion play-off place.
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