MK Dons have completed the signing of 21-year-old defender Nico Lawrence, who has joined on a season-long loan from Premier League side Southampton.
The centre-back becomes MK Dons' eleventh signing of the summer, subject to league and FA clearance, following Connor Lemonheigh-Evans, Luke Offord, Laurence Maguire, Tommy Leigh, Sam Sherring, Joe Pritchard, Liam Kelly, Tom Carroll, Callum Hendry and Tom McGill.
Lawrence moves to Milton Keynes after spending time at Colchester United on loan last season, although his deal was cut short due to injury.
Before his stint in Essex, the young defender featured for Torquay United, again on loan from Southampton, winning the club's Young Player of the Season award for 2022/23.
Lawrence signed for Southampton after impressing with London-based side Glebe FC in the Southern Counties East Football League, going on trial and earning a contract with the Saints in 2021.
The young defender spent time with Fulham, Crystal Palace, and Sutton United in his youth, before signing for the Kinetic Academy in South London at 14.
Lawrence joined up with his new MK Dons teammates for training today and could feature against Plymouth Argyle at Stadium MK on Saturday.
On signing for MK Dons, Lawrence said:
"I sat down with (Southampton Manager) Russell Martin for 20-30 minutes to discuss my options, and what would suit me best and help me thrive the most, and obviously it was MK!"
On working with MK Dons Head Coach Mike Williamson, Lawrence said, "The style of play is something that excites me a lot, it's similar to Southampton's style of football, I can't wait to kick-start and get going!"
On signing the defender on loan, Mike Williamson said, "Nico is a highly-rated young player who had a few options this summer, so I'm delighted he's chosen to come here and Southampton have trusted us with his continued development. He possesses the ball skills and vision required to be a real asset to our defence but also has the physicality to compete in League Two, we're very pleased to have him."
