While Queens Park Rangers supporters will be frustrated that Michael Beale jumped ship so early into his time at Loftus Road, they will surely have still preferred the former Aston Villa assistant to MK Dons boss Liam Manning.

Reports during the summer suggested that QPR wanted to speak to the League One side about appointing Manning, after an incredible first season in the third tier which saw the Buckinghamshire side miss out on promotion via the play-offs.

The 37-year-old had led the Dons to a third-place finish in what was his first season as a manager in England, having previously worked for Lommel SK in Belgium.

It was no surprise that he was attracting interest from QPR as they searched for a Mark Warburton successor but in the end, he would remain with the League One outfit, in what proved to be a blessing in disguise for the Hoops.

Before a bad run of form ahead of Beale's departure, QPR looked as if they could really challenge for a promotion spot back to the Premier League, and will be hoping to get their season back on track when the second tier resumes this weekend.

Meanwhile, MK Dons have fallen off a cliff under Manning, and it seems only a matter of time before the young manager loses his job at Stadium MK, as they are currently languishing in 22nd position in the third tier, having won just four games in the league so far this campaign.

Losing key players such as Scott Twine and Harry Darling has proven to be disastrous for the Dons and relegation to League Two now seems a real possibility, just a few months on from when they finished just one point outside the automatic promotion spots.

It is evident that Manning is no longer viewed in the same light as he was during the summer, as his name has not been mentioned as one of the candidates to take over from Beale at Loftus Road.

Therefore, supporters will be glad that QPR failed with their approach for Manning in the summer, as it could have been a disastrous appointment given MK Dons' shocking start to the 2022/23 campaign.