Connor Wickham: MK Dons sign former Crystal Palace striker for rest of season

Connor Wickham made his final appearance for Preston in a Carabao Cup game last September

League One promotion hopefuls MK Dons have signed striker Connor Wickham on a deal until the end of the season.

The 28-year-old was a free agent following his release by Preston North End earlier this month.

Wickham spent much of his career in the Premier League and cost £8.1m when he joined Sunderland from Ipswich in 2011.

Four years later, he moved on to Crystal Palace for an initial fee reported to be £7m.

Dons boss Liam Manning said: "Connor is a player I have coached previously and I am looking forward to working with him again here at MK Dons.

"I can't speak highly enough of his character, first and foremost, while he has also proven, throughout is career, what a top player he can be. He will certainly bolster our squad, on and off the pitch, for the remainder of the season."

Wickham is the club's fifth signing of the January transfer window and they go into Saturday's home game against Doncaster fifth in the table and five points outside the automatic promotion places.

"This a chance for me to join a great club with huge potential and hopefully I can become a good addition to our push in the second half of the season," he said.

"There is a great dressing room here and the manager has a good idea for where he wants to go with this team. I want to be a part of that journey and hopefully there's an exciting few months to come for all of us."

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