Paul Ince says that he likes his players to feel “special”. This is the player who used to make the opposition feel “special” by planting them into row F. But there it is, in blue ink, Ince really told The Times he wants his players to feel “special”.

Sir Alex Ferguson’s description of Ince as a “big-time Charlie” could not look more misplaced on the sidelines of the Milton Keynes Dons training pitch, where Ince prowls as manager of the Coca-Cola League Two club. There is nothing big-time about Ince’s management style and his approach to the game could not be more simple. “If you have ten outfield players who enjoy having the ball at their feet, then you will also have ten players who are desperate to win the ball back when they haven’t got it,” Ince said.

This is a football philosophy that developed from playing for West Ham United, Manchester United, Inter Milan, Liverpool, Middlesbrough, Wolverhampton Wanderers and England and from a working life that has been influenced by some of the more progressive modern football thinkers.

Ferguson, John Lyall, Terry Venables and Glenn Hoddle are responsible for Ince the manager, who has been in charge of MK Dons for little more than a month. The hard man who helped to turn United into an unstoppable force is a distant memory. Instead, Ince is relaxed and happy talking about the way he wants his team to play.

“We have moved into a smashing new stadium that holds 22,000 people and the fans will want to see the ball played on the floor, not in the air,” he said. “I took over at Macclesfield last season after they had lost 15 in a row. We played football and went unbeaten for the next ten - so you can play on the floor and still have success.

“I have learnt from every manager I have worked with, but I have my own way of doing things. Fergie might outlast me as a manager - I could get sacked in a few months - but I believe people have got to enjoy what they are doing. It’s no good shouting and screaming at players at this level. If something goes wrong on a Saturday, it is better to explain calmly on the training ground where it went wrong.

“If a player in the Premiership fails, then he can drop down into the Championship. But if things don’t work out for my players, there is nowhere to go after League Two - they are into nonleague or out of work. You have to understand that when you deal with them. It might be different if I was managing a Premiership club with people who had bigger egos, then my style and approach might change.”

MK Dons are expected to win promotion from League Two this season and Ince believes that the players inherited from a squad who finished in fourth place last season are capable of moving up a division.

Milton Keynes are second favourites to go up behind Peterborough United, managed by Darren Ferguson, Sir Alex’s son. Watching Ince and Ferguson go head to head on the touchline could be more entertaining than anything on the field. Ince already came through an early test of his managerial character last month, when a strong West Ham side visited stadium:mk last month and were beaten 3-2. He is not West Ham’s most popular former player and MK Dons are not the most popular club in the country, either, after the acrimonious row with AFC Wimbledon.

“I could have taken over a League One club and the task then would have been to stabilise them and gradually move them on,” he said. “Here it is a challenge. It is an exciting challenge to try and get this club promoted quickly and perhaps even up into the Championship,” Ince said.