Mad Max’s European tour

I’d wager the amount of players that have gone straight from League Two to European football is a small one, but for Max Dean, it seems like just another day on the job.

There was excitement around Max Dean from the start. The former Everton-trainee joined Leeds after he had been released by his boyhood club. Despite missing two first-half penalties in his trial game, he became a regular scorer for both the Under-18s and Under-23s. Almost immediately, fans began to note Dean’s ability, which was underpinned by an attitude that seemed to imply he was not only up for a scrap, but actively wanted to show the biggest and best opponents that he was never going to back down.

Although Dean never made a first-team appearance for Leeds, he was regularly involved in training under Marcelo Bielsa. By the time he left for MK Dons he was too far down the pecking order, behind the likes of first-teamers Pat Bamford and Rodrigo, as well as Joffy Gelhardt and Sonny Perkins, who were seemingly preferred when it came to blooding young strikers. The allure of senior football, as well as the familiarity of Jackson’s coaching, took him to MK Franchise in January 2023, without much fanfare — even the page announcing his departure no longer exists on Leeds’ website.

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