Settling in Milton Keynes will help bring the best out of Burns

After uprooting his life and moving overseas in the summer, Darragh Burns believes his performances are beginning to improve now he is settled in Milton Keynes.

The 20-year-old upped sticks from Ireland in July, moving to England after completing his move to MK Dons, living on his own for the first time away from his family. Not alone in doing so, he was joined by Dawson Devoy, making a similar move across the sea.

Dons’ on-the-field performances have been disappointing this season, with the club toiling in 22nd in League One approaching the half-way stage. For Burns, making the move and living in new surrounds was always going to take time to adapt to, but now he feels more at home in the city, he believes he, and many of the new signings who are also adapting to their new home, should start to show their best out on the pitch.

“It was always going to take time,” he said. “For me and Dawson, it was a big change in our lives. The football was always going to take care of itself, that wasn’t going to be the issue.

“But moving over here by ourselves, living by ourselves, cooking for ourselves, all the little things, it's a big change. And once we got comfortable off the pitch, the performances have got better on it.

“We're still young, we're working hard and with the guidance of some of the experienced players in the dressing room, we can keep doing well for the team. There will be rocky patches but that's part of football.”

While the city can divide opinion, mostly by those who are not from the area, Burns says he has enjoyed his time in Milton Keynes so far, both in terms of his living arrangements and at the club.

He continued: “Life in Milton Keynes is good - there's plenty to do which makes things so much easier moving over. We don't get too bored because there's stuff to do, so I don't think I could have moved to a better area to be honest. The people are all friendly, which is great.

“It's a family club, the people here support you from day one, and love you from the minute you walk in. As long as you work hard on the pitch, they'll look after you off it. It has been going really well here so far.”