[Bwuk]

Potential to feature tomorrow?

 

[Wazza4Gaffa]

Back in training. Hopefully he can stay healthy and provide competition for a spot in the 1st team. He's at the age where needs to start playing senior football either here or elsewhere for the sake of his development.

 

[dutchred]

Does anyone know if he is fit? Is he training with the first team? Any chancee of him getting a runout v Watford in the cup

 

[AltiUn]

Does anyone know if he is fit? Is he training with the first team? Any chancee of him getting a runout v Watford in the cup

He's fit and training with the first team, no idea if he'll get a game though.

 

[dutchred]

He's fit and training with the first team, no idea if he'll get a game though.

Thanks

 

[P-Nut]

Seems like forever now that I've been wanting him to get a game or 2. Injuries and fitness always seem to be in the way as he gets closer to the first team.

 

[dutchred]

Would be nice to see him play against someone like Sarr who is a gretty good winger.

 

[FC Ronaldo]

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[charlenefan]

Shame both him and Levitt are/were sent to League One sides rather than Championship ones

 

[slyadams]

We have season tickets at the Dons as they're our local club, so I can report back on him extensively.

 

[yamo123x]

Should be in our squad against watford.
Cant be any worse than AWB

 

[Alemar]

We have season tickets at the Dons as they're our local club, so I can report back on him extensively.

Will Laird easily get into starting XI? What’s their RB situation now?

 

[CM]

It'll be interesting to see how he gets on. Lets see if he can justify the hype he gets on here.

 

[ClaytonBlackmoorLeftPeg]

Needs games. His reputation seems to get bigger and bigger every time he’s injured.

 

[Leonzo1]

Should be in our squad against watford.
Cant be any worse than AWB

Weird post.

 

[siw2007]

Best of luck to the lad, hope he plays well at the Dons. The potential is there, but for him to fulfil it, he needs to get over his injuries and start playing games.

 

[Hernandez - BFA]

Needs games. His reputation seems to get bigger and bigger every time he’s injured.

This.

 

[P-Nut]

We have season tickets at the Dons as they're our local club, so I can report back on him extensively.

Do you get the ifollow thing for free with having a season ticket?

 

[Ace of Spades]

Good luck to him, so much talent, just hope he puts the injury problems behind and kick on.

 

[slyadams]

Will Laird easily get into starting XI? What’s their RB situation now?

I wouldn't say easily no. It might sound hard to believe but the Dons are a really good side. We got a new manager about 12 months ago and he transformed us in a possession based team and at one point we had the highest average posession in Europe (1 = Dons, 2 = Bayern etc.). We tend to play pretty much anyone off the park, the problem we've had is that we aren't very clinical and we have had a tendency to leak an early goal so we've lost quite a few games by the odd goal and have had quite a few games where we've come back to draw 1-1.

The Dons have options on the right, although actually its RWB because we play 3 at the back. The two main choices are Matty Sorinola, a young academy product, and Reagan Poole, once of the United parish as well! Sorinola is more attacking, but I question his end product at the moment and there are rumours championship clubs are sniffing around. Poole is my first choice and I don't think Laird will displace him immediately. I'm sure League 1 can be a bit more physical than he's used to and will be playing against some big, experienced players and also he might need some time to get used to the system, because for our manager the system is everything. We have quite a high turnover of players (everyone at this level does) and so its important system comes first. What I think might happen is Poole moves into the 3 making space for Laird to come in.

Do you get the ifollow thing for free with having a season ticket?

Yeah, but only for home games.

 

[Alemar]

I wouldn't say easily no. It might sound hard to believe but the Dons are a really good side. We got a new manager about 12 months ago and he transformed us in a possession based team and at one point we had the highest average posession in Europe (1 = Dons, 2 = Bayern etc.). We tend to play pretty much anyone off the park, the problem we've had is that we aren't very clinical and we have had a tendency to leak an early goal so we've lost quite a few games by the odd goal and have had quite a few games where we've come back to draw 1-1.

The Dons have options on the right, although actually its RWB because we play 3 at the back. The two main choices are Matty Sorinola, a young academy product, and Reagan Poole, once of the United parish as well! Sorinola is more attacking, but I question his end product at the moment and there are rumours championship clubs are sniffing around. Poole is my first choice and I don't think Laird will displace him immediately. I'm sure League 1 can be a bit more physical than he's used to and will be playing against some big, experienced players and also he might need some time to get used to the system, because for our manager the system is everything. We have quite a high turnover of players (everyone at this level does) and so its important system comes first. What I think might happen is Poole moves into the 3 making space for Laird to come in.


Yeah, but only for home games.

Many thanks for such a detailed response, mate. However, is it a right choice of a club then? We don’t use wingbacks (very rarely), so wouldn’t it be better for Laird to play somewhere as a RB?

 

[yamo123x]

Weird post.

why?
Ive watched Laird for a number of years and he has potential to be our full back or wing back for years to come. He has been so unlucky with injuries, but now he is fit and playing well the watford game would have been a chance to see him in the first team. AWB other than slide tackles is so poor, has little or no competition and Ethan should be given an opportunity.
Strange we have loaned him out given rumours williams may be loaned and TFM who is also poor turning down a contract extension.

 

[TwoSheds]

Many thanks for such a detailed response, mate. However, is it a right choice of a club then? We don’t use wingbacks (very rarely), so wouldn’t it be better for Laird to play somewhere as a RB?

Laird is a much better attacker than he is a defender. Assuming he can handle the physical side (don't think size will be an issue but clearly experience and injury proneness could) then RWB would be a great place for him to gain experience and confidence in the senior game.

 

[slyadams]

Many thanks for such a detailed response, mate. However, is it a right choice of a club then? We don’t use wingbacks (very rarely), so wouldn’t it be better for Laird to play somewhere as a RB?

That I don't know, I'm not really able to follow United's youth/reserve sides so I don't know much about Laird. Its a good choice in the sense we play a PL style, he's not going to a hoof ball club.

 

[limerickcitykid]

Shame both him and Levitt are/were sent to League One sides rather than Championship ones

A shame how? You think Levitt would have benefited more from sitting on a Championship bench rather than a League One bench?

 

[kundalini]

Shame both him and Levitt are/were sent to League One sides rather than Championship ones

Championship clubs have a strong preference for experience of some type, when considering possible loan players. If you want a young player to go straight to a Championship loan then you really need to give them a few starts in competitive games at first team level. If lucky, you can get away with Europa League games (as happened with James Garner) and perhaps early rounds of domestic Cup competitions. United trashed the value of the Astana match by fielding such a weak team.

Otherwise, the route into the Championship is via a successful League One loan, or alteratively, Scot Premiership or Eredivisie.

 

[pascell]

Shame both him and Levitt are/were sent to League One sides rather than Championship ones

Championship is just as aggressive and physical as League One, Levitt wasn't up to it physically in League One.

 

[TwoSheds]

That I don't know, I'm not really able to follow United's youth/reserve sides so I don't know much about Laird. Its a good choice in the sense we play a PL style, he's not going to a hoof ball club.

He's a baller and strong and quick but he's a bit positionally dodgy sometimes and he's always broken.

 

[tomaldinho1]

Shame both him and Levitt are/were sent to League One sides rather than Championship ones

Hopefully more chances of starting. I swear most of our loanees go out and then get like 5 games in half a year before being recalled.

 

[Alemar]

So how did Laird do today? Against Premier League level opposition

 

[BenitoSTARR]

So how did Laird do today? Against Premier League level opposition

Good game and a great run too at one point.

 

[Rozay]

Very happy for this loan. The kid is the real deal for me - same level of talent as Mason Greenwood and the best we have at his age.

6 months of men’s football should be enough for him to come back and be part of the squad here, provided he can stay fit at MK and contribute.

 

[Rozay]

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[city-puma]

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Looks decent really!

 

[Rozay]

Looks decent really!

I think he’s the real deal. Huge talent and future first-teamer, fitness permitting.

If he can get 20 games with MK will do him the world of good.

 

[MileStolar]

Oozes confidence, played quite cheeky at times there. I read a lot of hype but I haven't really watched him so those highlights really seem like a promising start of the loan!

Although the question remains the same as with a lot of our young and promising defenders - can they stay fit in the long run?

 

[Ali Dia]

it’s all there for him if he can just stay fit.

 

[Adnan]

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[Adnan]

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[Bwuk]

Laird seems extremely confident. Would be great if he can break through and challenge AWB next season.