Taking time out had the Maximum

Effect

GAP years were once the province of student backpackers who send distress signals home when they run out of money.

But for England Under-21 defender Max Aarons, an intermission on his journey through football’s academy system to work one on one with a personal coach served him well.

In midweek, Aarons reached a century of firstteam appearances for Championship leaders Norwich City at 20.

And among English football’s embarrassment of riches at right-back, the EFL young player of the month will keep Trent Alexander-Arnold, Reece James and Tariq Lamptey on their toes in the international pecking order.

As Daniel Farke’s frontrunners continue to turn brinkmanship into a fine art with late goals, Aarons is reaping the benefits of his private tuition with guru Saul Isaksson-Hurst five years ago.

Isaksson-Hurst spent 10 years working at Chelsea and Tottenham’s academies before going solo as a specialist in ball control. He was a crucial mentor when Aarons left Luton Town at 14, seeking more hours on the training pitch at a category-one academy, and his gamble at first backfired.

“I had reached a point where I wanted to improve as a player and I ended up going to Tottenham for a trial,” said Aarons.

“I thought it was right for me because it was closer to home, but nothing came of it and, for the best part of a year, I was not attached to a club.

“Basically, I spent that time working with Saul one to one, focusing on areas where I needed to improve, and it helped my game a lot.

“Then, when I was 15 going on 16, one of my old coaches at Luton got in touch offering me a six-week trial at Norwich.

“Fortunately, I liked them straight away, they liked me, and I signed as a

scholar. I had always been pretty quick, but between 11 and 14 somehow I didn’t lose half a yard of pace but I didn’t feel as sharp.

“In football, speed of thought is often just as important as speed on the ground, and at that stage I was a winger.

“Luckily, that extra sharpness was evident when I came to Norwich, and as a right-back I’m grateful for the impact those sessions had on my dribbling, my mobility, and other parts of my game.

“Working your way through the academy system is still the most obvious route to first-team football, but it doesn’t work out like that for everyone.

“I don’t regret taking that year out to focus on myself and as a player. It has worked out for me.

“The boss jokes that I have made 500 appearances and I shouldn’t be eligible for the young player award any more, but I’m very proud of my century of games at 20 years old.”

Aarons scored his first goal for two years in the late fightback to beat Sheffield Wednesday last weekend.

Last-gasp goals were one of Norwich’s specialities when they went up as champions two seasons ago, and they have clearly not mislaid the art.

“Sometimes we have to stretch games out and use every minute available to get the result we want,” said Aarons.

“It would be nice to make life a bit easier for ourselves but it’s a good sign that we can still keep digging out important goals late on.”

The Canaries grabbed a late winner at Huddersfield on the opening day of the season and followed suit several times since.

They kick off at Blackburn today four points clear of third-placed Watford.

Mind the gap.

I spent time working with Saul one-to-one .. it helped improve my football a lot