MK Dons sign Stockport midfielder Collar

Will Collar has scored 40 goals from midfield for Stockport County in four and a half seasons

Milton Keynes Dons have signed Stockport County midfielder Will Collar after his contract expired at the League One club.

The 28-year-old has been a key figure for the Hatters, helping them to two promotions since their non-league days.

Collar is a Brighton youth product who made his senior debut for Hamilton Academical in the Scottish Premiership but left after two seasons to join Stockport, then in the National League, in 2021.

He made 171 appearances for Dave Challinor's team and scored 40 goals.

Dons head coach Paul Warne told the club website: "He's obviously a fantastic footballer as I think anyone at Stockport County will tell you, but he's also a strong character and has the chance to be a real leader for us in midfield.

"He scored goals in League One last season in a team that puts a lot of crosses into the box. He can arrive late and get his head on the ball which we'll need."

Stockport chief executive Simon Wilson said when the club announced his departure: "He is rightly a man in demand, and we have had to respect that the decision around his next move has to be in the best interest of himself and his family."