Pots; Maximillian Aarons

Picture the scene. Pre-season, club kit launch event on Chapelfield Plain.

Among Grant Hanley, Remi Matthews, Mario Vrancic and Onel Hernandez, was what appeared to be the work experience boy. Fresh faced, yet uncomfortable, almost petrified at the sight of a winding queue of City fans all eager to meet their heroes. None of those heroes were him, yet there he sat, at the end of the line, ready to sign autographs. Audibly, children could be heard saying ‘who’s that one on the end?’ – a number of parents had no clue, and to be fair, why should they? He had clearly just been brought along for the ride, to see what life as a first teamer and the accompanying public appearances was like. Possibly to hint at what the future looked like. And so there he was sat, looking as uneasy as a middle-aged man having been told he was about to have a colonoscopy undertaken by Jimmy Carr.

The lad in question was Max Aarons. Nobody had come to see HIM. In fact, had he been handing out the complimentary bottles of water to those people who’d braved a sun-drenched City centre in the middle of a heatwave, he wouldn’t have looked out of place.

As much as I thought it was lovely that the big boys had been cajoled into letting the youngster tag along, he looked so out of place it felt like he just wasn’t ready for it all. Ready for the rough and tumble of the Championship. Ready for cold, wet Tuesday nights in Blackburn. Ready for the actual footballs.

As it turns out, despite him looking more out of place than Trump at a lecture on feminism, the green grass of Carrow Road is very much Max’s comfort zone.

Since being selected for his league debut on derby day, he has barely tasted defeat. The fearlessness of youth has been one of, if not THE, stand out stories of City’s season. Aarons is front and centre of that successful tale.

His assets are plentiful, although Aarons’ composure is possibly his greatest strength. Still in his formative years, his trickery in tight pockets of space is masterful. Couple this with his blistering pace and it has given Norwich another facet to their play. While it’s lovely to see Norwich play their way through the thirds, they can also rely on Aarons to carry the ball 30 or 40 yards up the pitch in a heartbeat. A case in point being the swagger with which Aarons exchanged passes with his colleagues as he ran a full 70 yards, before nonchalantly teeing up the ball on a plate for Pukki’s tap-in at Hillsborough. It’s just one in a list of examples where he’s actively propelled City forward, rather than recycle the play, which was a hallmark of last season’s keep-ball tactic.

However, what is more striking about Aarons’ emergence is the way in which he has adjusted to senior football, and the consistency he’s demonstrated since he was given his chance. His technical ability with the ball, and strength to protect it when in trouble, has fused perfectly with the philosophy Farke is cultivating at the club.

As key encounter after key encounter has come and gone, Aarons has delivered on every occasion. The amount of mistakes he’s made can be counted on one hand, only one of which is actually memorable, as it resulted in Forest’s Boxing Day opener. Aarons didn’t dwell on it, focusing instead on the task in hand rather than what had gone before it. It’s so easy to forget that just over a year ago he couldn’t even buy a four pack of cider and get pissed with his mates.

Experienced pros have tested his attributes, yet every time he’s come out of top. If Aarons’ astounding progression continues at this rate there is every chance he will out-grow Norwich in the same way James Maddison did so spectacularly before him.

So rapid has been his rise that both Farke and Webber might possibly need to start the succession planning this summer. Talk of interest from Manchester City, Tottenham, Chelsea and Arsenal will only be the start of things to come. Aarons is, by some margin, technically the best full-back I’ve seen since supporting Norwich City, which spans some 32 years. He will represent his country at senior level should his career be correctly managed. Promotion could well extend his stay in Norfolk but for now, enjoy him while you can, City fans.

He’s no longer that frightened work experience boy, wondering if anyone will actually recognise him when he signs their autograph book. This is Max Aarons, EFL Young Player of the Season. That starman, playing down the right……. and he’s fucking dynamite.