'He's ridiculously humble' - Warne lauds retiring Lewington
Dean Lewington played in the Dons' first game in Milton Keynes, against Barnsley in August 2004 [Getty Images]
New MK Dons boss Paul Warne has paid tribute to Dean Lewington ahead of what may be the veteran defender's final game for the club.
Lewington, 41, began his career with Wimbledon FC and stayed with them when they made the move to Milton Keynes in 2004.
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He has confirmed that he will retire from playing at the end of the season and Saturday's home game against Grimsby Town has been named Dean Lewington Day as a show of respect.
"He's like the MK Dons Ryan Giggs. I played about 500 games which I'm quite boasty about because I think that's impressive.... but to play nearly double that, to have the physical resilience for that is amazing, the way the modern game is," Warne told the club website.
"I've seen him in team meetings and I've seen him out on the training pitch talking to the younger lads and telling them where they should be - his appetite for the game is impressive and that's possibly why he's played so many games.
"He is so humble, ridiculously humble, which is a really impressive trait. If he were my son, I'd be very proud of him as a player and a human being. He's the perfect person you want in the dressing room."
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Lewington was involved in many of the club's biggest moments, winning the EFL Trophy at Wembley in 2008, beating Manchester United 4-0 in the League Cup in 2014 and winning promotion to the Championship in 2015.
"It's unique that every team photo (at the stadium) has got him on. And he's the easiest one to find. When I walk down the steps, there he is, it's not like 'Where's Wally?' where it's really tricky. 'Where's Dean?' is really an easy game to play," joked Warne, who was appointed on 15 April.
"He will definitely, when he passes away, be in a vinegar jar somewhere as a freak of nature."
Lewington last played in a 3-2 win over Cheltenham in November, but if he is involved against Grimsby, it will be his 916th game for the Dons, having broken John Trollope's 40-year record for the most league appearances for a single club in the EFL in 2023.
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"It feels a bit surreal; it doesn't really feel like it's the end," he told BBC Three Counties Radio.
"I'm not ready. I don't think you ever will be if you love something that has brought you so much joy and happiness and you still enjoy doing it; you never want to stop.
"But obviously everything has a time and a place and I know it is time to stop, but my heart is not quite ready yet."
He has been named interim boss on three occasions when previous managers left Stadium: MK but was not asked to do the job again when Warne's predecessor Scott Lindsey was sacked in January.
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Only Peter Shilton, Tony Ford, Graham Alexander and Terry Paine have played more senior games in English football.
But Lewington said: "Records ultimately are meaningless, it's just a list that you're top of.
"The end of my career is going to feel different because it means so much to me, it's my life and it's going to affect me a little bit differently, but hopefully I'll be alright."
He has only played nine games this season and said he felt as "distant" from the rest of the team as he has ever done despite being involved in training.
"I've not been involved in the squad, not been to half the games, so it's been a really weird season for me," he continued.
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"Even back at the start of the season, I probably knew this would be the last one but I was hoping the team would do well and it might end with a promotion, or at Wembley, something quite nice.
"It's been a disappointing season for everyone concerned and hopefully they have made the change now (by bringing in Paul Warne) that will be in place for two or three years and they can have a bit of stability.
"We may have hit rock bottom and hopefully now, this is the start of a comeback."
Mk Dons are 18th in League Two, having lost in the play-offs last season, and following the game against Grimsby, they will end the campaign with a trip to Swindon Town on 3 May.
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