During his five-year spell at Norwich City, Max Aarons was able to establish himself as one of the Championship’s best young defenders.
With more than 200 appearances for the Canaries under his belt, the Hammersmith-born defender made a £7million move to Bournemouth, where he enjoyed a successful first season, making more than 20 appearances for the Cherries as they secured their best-ever Premier League finish.
But as he struggled to nail down a place in the starting XI in the following campaign, Aarons spent the second half of last season on loan at Valencia and secured a season-long loan to Rangers this summer.
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Max Aarons on his Rangers move
Aarons came up through the ranks at Norwich (Image credit: PA)
Aarons made his debut for the Scottish giants in a Champions League qualifier against Panathinaikos in July, in a match which was a real eye-opener for the 25-year-old.
“The size of this club is mad,” he tells FourFourTwo. “Playing in that Champions League qualifier was like nothing I had experienced before. The manager, Russell Martin, said to me, ‘I know you’ve played nearly 100 games in the Premier League, but this place is different’. I felt that. You hear about the passion of the fans, but it was just so loud the whole game. They were incredible, and that was a big part of me coming here. When Rangers called, there was only one place I wanted to go.”
Aaron’s Ibrox debut came in a Champions League qualifier (Image credit: Getty Images)
Aarons also admits there is a different kind of pressure when lining up for a club of this size.
“There’s definitely pressure playing for Rangers, but that’s something I thrive off as a player,” he adds. “I want to play in Europe, whether that’s the Champions League or Europa League – then add the pressure of the Old Firm Derby, which is one of, if not the biggest, in football. I didn’t come here with any idea other than to go as far as possible in each competition.”
The move to Rangers also saw Aarons reunited with Russell Martin, who Aarons played alongside when he was coming through at Norwich, with Aarons admitting that he is not surprised to see Martin transitioning into coaching.
“I could tell for sure,” he continues. “He was the Norwich captain, and the advice he’d give, you could see that it wasn’t just a player in there, but a coach’s mind. With what I’ve learned from him already, it’s no surprise how well he’s done at each club. He’s so tactically switched on in every aspect of the game, and the way he can just change the script of a game with a few tweaks is impressive.”
Aarons played alonside Russell Martin at Norwich (Image credit: Getty Images)
With Aarons looking to settle quickly at Ibrox, he admits his last season at Bournemouth was a frustrating one.
“I began really well, then got a hamstring injury and the team started to pick up results, so it was hard for me to get back in. Last season was the first time in my career I wasn’t playing games.
Of course I don’t expect to be playing every game, but I wasn’t used to it and want to play. That’s why I’m grateful they let me have the full pre-season here at Rangers. They know how much I want to play and it has been so beneficial. That first game against Panathinaikos felt brilliant. I’m feeling really positive about this season.
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