He’s made the breakthrough as a right-back in the Premier League and for the England Under-21s but Max Aarons admits he was sceptical about being converted to a defender when he first joined Norwich City.
Aarons joined the Canaries in 2016 having spent much of his youth career with Luton Town and quickly progressed through the academy ranks to enjoy a superb first senior season which concluded in promotion and being named EFL Young Player of the Season.
Now the 20-year-old has five England U21 caps and 27 top-flight appearances on his CV, with his rapid development seeing him linked with transfer interest from just about every Premier League club, including Tottenham, Arsenal and West Ham.
“I started off as like a number 10 or a winger when I was younger,” Aarons explained. “When I signed for Norwich I then got moved to right-back in my first year as a scholar.
“At the time it was a bit of a blow, I wasn’t looking forward to it but after playing there for a while I grew into it and loved it. Obviously that’s where I’m playing now so it was a good decision by them.”
Aarons was discussing his career in a question and answer session via Instagram, taking control of the Rising Ballers account, and was asked who the best player was that he had faced in the Premier League so far.
The answer was easy, having been on the receiving end of two sensational performances from an England forward as Manchester United comfortably beat City home and away.
“The hardest player I’ve come up against was Marcus Rashford,” he explained. “He was just so quick, so sharp, strong as well and he’s hard to mark, he’s quite unpredictable in and around the box and things like that.
“So definitely, hands down, the toughest I’ve come up against in my career to date.”
MORE: Webber hopeful that City still won’t be forced to sell despite financial issues
His best team-mates so far are of an impressive calibre as well.
He added: “I’ve played with some very good ones. At Norwich, Emi Buendia, top player, and also James Maddison. I started training with him when I first came in at Norwich with the first team.
“And then in general, Callum Hudson-Odoi or Phil Foden are probably the best I’ve played with (for the England U21s) - both unbelievable.”
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here