Milton Keynes Dons have today announced that centre back Warren O'Hora has put pen to paper on a new deal at the club.
O'Hora has established himself as a reliable and influential player at Stadium MK, having first impressed enough during his initial loan spell to earn a permanent move to the club in January 2021 - under then-manager Russell Martin.
With Liam Manning at the helm, the 23-year-old Dublin native has gone from strength to strength and while it was Harry Darling earning all the plaudits last season, O'Hora's quiet consistency and reliability certainly caught the eyes of many.
He is a popular figure amongst fans and media, having won Media Personality of the Year in back-to-back seasons courtesy of his impressive displays both on and off the pitch, and an appearance this Saturday against Accrington Stanley will put him just five games away from his first century in Milton Keynes.
The club will now be hoping to see O'Hora play well beyond that mark with this new contract.
Speaking of the centre back, head coach Liam Manning commented: "Delighted he's signed a new deal. He epitomises for me what we're about, in terms of providing opportunity."
"He's a terrific character, a real leader for someone at a relatively young age with the experience he has."
He added: "He's been outstanding since we've joined, he's progressively gotten better where his performance levels improved. Credit has to go to him and the staff that work closely with him."
"I look at his journey and look at how much he's tidied up on the basics, defensively his body shape, his footwork, I can go on in terms of numerous praise for Warren. I can't speak highly enough of him."
With O'Hora locked up for the foreseeable future, Manning spoke on the next stages of his development and career and potentially even gave a small hint into who could be in line to take the armband from club legend Dean Lewington when he eventually hangs up his boots.
He commented: "The next step, the next challenge, is for him to now be the standout every week, to lead and to set the tone for the team because he's captain material, that is for sure."
He continued: "It' been going on a little while, and rightly so for club, for player it has to be where everybody's comfortable with it and that's the ultimate outcome from it."
"It's great to get to the stage where he's comfortable, the club are comfortable. We've had some real open, honest chats around his role here now but also in the future and I think it's another great example of what the club's about in terms of providing young players opportunity."
"It's not just about the players we sign, it's about the ones we've got in the building, making sure they perform and if they perform to a high level then they'll get rewarded with contracts."
He concluded: "The club then has to look after them and that ultimately comes down to performing, which he's done consistently now for a period of time."
