24-year-old could play his last AFC Wimbledon game at Wembley - promotion will change the future | OneFootball

Josh Neufville's AFC Wimbledon contract expires this summer, but a win at Wembley may just see him stay at the club

2024/25 has been Josh Neufville's breakout season for AFC Wimbledon, with the former Luton academy graduate excelling for the Dons this season.

In a system where he has been deployed as a wing-back, the 24-year-old has gone from strength to strength, but despite having put on a show for Dons fans all season long, the club are yet to award him with a new deal.

And with this delay, clubs from above may have swooped in and taken his interest away, meaning the play-off final at Wembley could be Neufville's last game for the club. However, if promotion is secured, then there is no reason to believe that the marauding wing-back will not be in yellow and blue next season.

Josh Neufville has been a star for AFC Wimbledon and Johnnie Jackson

Neufville's incredible season has already been talked about plenty already, but there is no getting away from the fact that he has been nothing short of superb for Johnnie Jackson this season.

Having suffered a fairly mediocre first season with the Dons thanks to dips in form and fitness, not many foresaw just how brilliant he would be this time round.

From the first time he played in the new position and system far back in pre-season, he did look to be a changed man, but his recent play-off performances show he has become much more than that.

In a first leg where the Dons were under pressure both before and after Riley Harbottle put them ahead, Neufville had the difficult task of keeping both Jodi Jones and David McGoldrick, when he drifted out to the wing, quiet as both were County's main creative outlets.

And his brilliant defensive contributions culminated in an excellent clearance off the line following a chipped effort from Conor Grant, who had been a thorn in the side of Wimbledon's defence all night. But it was his second leg efforts that, if Wimbledon do succeed at Wembley, he will be remembered for.

Having worked on some tactical play in the week leading up to the second leg, Neufville made a run from deep that was untracked thanks to a decoy in the form of Myles Hippolyte, and brilliantly brought down a Joe Lewis long-range pass with one touch before effortlessly chipping former Don Alex Bass in goal.

His calmness and composure in the moment that effectively confirmed Wimbledon's passage to the Wembley final, at that time, personified exactly the player he had become, and why he has been so key for the Dons throughout the entire season.

And yet it also showed exactly what the Dons would be missing if they were in the unfortunate position where they lose such a talented player for absolutely nothing.

Josh Neufville will be leaving AFC Wimbledon - unless promotion is achieved

While it has not been confirmed yet, there is a strong feeling that the upcoming final at Wembley will, unfortunately for Dons fans, be Neufville's last game for the club.

Despite being a star player for Johnnie Jackson's side for the past few months, backed up by a recent full sweep in the end-of-season awards for the mens team, there has been no news indicating that the wing-back is signing a new deal.

A cryptic Instagram story posted on Neufville's account did look to be hinting at the potential of sticking around beyond the end of this season, but since then, a dip in team form saw Neufville get into heated arguments with fans, and there is every chance that at that very point, he started to explore other options while he still could.

Now, Wimbledon have a history of taking their time with contract renewals and tend not to do them during the season unless absolutely necessary, so it could be the case that this video was hinting at news that would only break following a full conclusion to the season, playoffs or not.

But with a lot of fans of teams at the higher end of League One already adding Neufville's name to their ideal transfer lists, it would be of no surprise if club officials of those teams are doing the same, especially as a majority of those teams will likely have plenty more money to offer than that of the fan-owned Dons, who typically always find themselves in an uphill battle to keep their stars from being tempted away by more money.

However, all this worry about Wimbledon's wonderful wing-back may completely disappear if the club achieve promotion back to the third tier after three years in League Two.

There is a clear path of progression for Neufville while he is at Wimbledon, and heading off to another team may just stunt all the growth that has already been seen this season, and is likely to continue into the future.

So it is rather imperative that the Dons go on and beat Walsall for a place in League One, as with that will they not only have the chance to play at a higher level against some fallen giants, but they will get to do so with a squad packed out with stars, like Neufville, who have renewed their deals and see their future in the yellow and blue of Wimbledon.