Ian Wright & Mick Harford join MK Dons coaching staff

MK Dons have appointed ex-Luton boss Mick Harford as assistant manager and former Arsenal and England striker Ian Wright as first-team coach.

Wright, 48, worked with the Dons strikers earlier in the season and will take up his role on a part-time basis.

Harford, who will replace the retiring John Gorman, has been out of management since he left the Hatters in 2009.

Boss Karl Robinson said: "I believe I've picked the two best people to help our promotion ambitions next season."

He added: "Mick is an incredible man and a fantastic coach who is well respected in the game. He has a fear factor about him, but he is a football person and I think I need to be surrounded by football people.

"Ian Wright hasn't got his qualifications yet but he is working towards them and he will provide invaluable experience, knowledge and inspiration to our players.

"For a while Ian will work with the team through the week, he can't be with us at weekends because of other contractual commitments, but he will be here Monday to Friday and he will be involved in all our midweek games."

Wright, who scored 185 goals in 288 games for Arsenal, works as a radio pundit on Saturdays.

"I am thankful to Karl for allowing me the chance to start my coaching career and I am already excited about the new season," he said.

"The group of players we have at MK Dons are an extremely talented bunch and I am looking forward to working with them on a daily basis."

Harford, who also had a brief spell managing Rotherham, led Luton to Football League Trophy success in 2009 but endured relegation to the Conference in the same season, with the Hatters hampered by a 30-point deduction.

The 53-year-old said: "Karl has the same football ethos as me and, having seen the team on Tuesday night [against Huddersfield], I feel very positive about the squad."