Insider shares what Rangers target had in common with Todd Cantwell as failed Barcelona move proves a point
Rangers are closing in on the signing of a European Championship Under-21 winner
Rangers are aiming to build a team that can bridge the gap between themselves and Celtic at the top of the table, and ex-Hoops academy graduate Michael McGovern has shared why he feels Bournemouth’s Max Aarons could be the perfect figure in shaping Russell Martin’s Ibrox revolution.
The former goalie, who was capped 32 times for Northern Ireland in a 20-year playing career, crossed paths with Aarons during his time at Norwich City between 2016 and 2023. McGovern was an experienced goalkeeper at this stage of his career while Aarons was a young teenage defender that was just beginning to make a name for himself in the professional game at Championship level.
The then unknown teenager scored just two weeks after his professional debut for the Canaries in 2018 and went on to finish his debut campaign as the EFL Young Player of the Year while winning the Championship title after scoring two goals and registering six assists from right-back. He came through the academy at a time when Jamal Lewis, Todd Cantwell and Ben Godfrey were all making a name for themselves along with Argentine signing Emiliano Buendía. Aarons was arguably the pick of the bunch in that particular season and was even linked with a move to Barcelona. However, he’d subsequently be the last player to leave Carrow Road.
Michael McGovern heaps praise on character of Max Aarons
Michael McGovern says he was in awe at the way Max Aarons acclimatised to first team football at such a young age but says the most impressive factor about him was the way he handled the breakdown of his transfer to Barcelona.
McGovern explains via Sun Sport: “I was there when Max made his debut against Stevenage, and also when he scored his first goal against Cardiff. He’s a good boy and I used to sit beside him in the dressing room. He was always well thought of at Norwich. Max was in a group of young players like Jamal Lewis, Ben Godfrey and Todd Cantwell — up-and-coming boys who were destined to move on to great things. There was a lot of talk of them all moving on to bigger clubs. Max probably moved on last, even though there was a lot of interest in him.
“I know for a fact that Barcelona offered to take him on loan a few years ago. They were struggling financially at the time, and couldn’t sign players permanently in that window. Max had probably stayed at Norwich a season or two longer than he should have for his own development. He eventually moved to Bournemouth when Norwich were relegated.”
Aarons’ move to Barcelona broke down due to the fact that the Spanish side were unable to put in a permanent obligation to sign the right-back at the end of his proposed loan move.
However, McGovern from experience knows a lot of players would have pushed for an exit at that stage. He added:“If Barca try to take you on loan but your club says, ‘No’, a lot of players would have gone kicking and screaming to the owner, sporting director, or the people who make the decisions.Some players would have said they are not playing or not training properly.
“But Max didn’t do any of that when the move fell through. It’s all credit to him and his character.As much as he was really disappointed, he just got his head down and worked hard.”
Max Aarons could revive his career at Rangers
Max Aarons, who plays predominantly as a right-back but on occasion as a left-back as he proved in England’s Under-21 European Championship triumph two years ago, is believed to be closing in on a loan move to Ibrox after a frustrating stint at Bournemouth. Aarons has played just 23 league games for the Cherries since arriving in 2023 and spent the entirety of last season on loan at Valencia where he played just four league matches.
McGovern believes the youngster has lost his way slightly due to the lack of regular first team action but feels a switch to Ibrox could be the perfect move for both parties as James Tavernier is presented with fresh competition.
“If he goes to Rangers, they are signing a player who still has a lot of potential. That’s obvious given Max has moved for £7m and his club knocked back even bigger offers previously. He has maybe lost his way a little bit in the last year or two — but that’s because he hasn’t played so much football.Clubs in Scotland probably wouldn’t get a player with as much potential if the circumstances were different. But Rangers would be getting a player who just needs someone to show belief in him.If they do that with Max, I’m sure he will repay their faith with some top-quality performances.”
New Rangers boss Russell Martin was in the same Norwich side as Aarons towards the end of his career and though the two never played together at first team level, their paths did cross in the under-23s when Martin had fallen down the pecking order.
“Max was in the Under-23s at the time and that was when their paths crossed. He has spoken in the past about the captain training with them. It could have been a dent to his pride, but Russ carried himself in the right manner — as he always did — and that stuck with Max. I still stay in touch with him. I always got on really well with him at Norwich and he’s just a great lad.I really hope that he starts to play a lot of games next season for Rangers,” McGovern added.