According to several reports including the Sun, Derby County defender Max Lowe attracted plenty of interest this summer.
The Sun claim Brentford, Celtic and Rangers were all keen on signing the Derby left-back. The Rams, however, avoided the temptation to cash in on the youngster and it now appears to be a smart move.
Lowe made his first appearance this season in the 0-0 draw at Swansea City. The 22-year-old replaced the injured Jayden Bogle at right-back and impressed in what was an unnatural role for him.
Photo by Action Foto Sport/NurPhoto via Getty Images)
According to Whoscored, Lowe was among Derby’s most creative players with two key passes completed. Defensively he was also sound, making two tackles and two interceptions.
His performance received praise on Twitter from Derby supporters after the game:
Mental that we were looking to sell Lowe when looking at our other LB options #dcfc
— Wramlington (@ElliotDcfc) August 10, 2019
True but Max did well when he came on. Would be much better than calamity Malone at LB.
— Daniel 🐏🇳🇱🇪🇺 (@danndannuk) August 10, 2019
Roos Bogle Keogh Clarke Lowe Huddlestone Bielik Lawrence Dowell Paterson Marriott. My strongest starting 11 imo after what I’ve seen so far. #dcfc
— Mel Morris Has You On Strings (@HobKnead) August 10, 2019
Oh yeah, I’d like to see Lowe get game time to make it his own because he’d have that patience from that fans to at least make mistakes and learn. Hopefully when he’s crossing is on point it’s a real threat on the left
— Stair 35 (@Stair35dcfc) August 11, 2019
Can Max Lowe establish himself as a Derby first-teamer?
Lowe isn’t a long-term option at right-back for the Rams. Fellow academy graduate Jayden Bogle has that position sewn up, and his injury now could leave manager Phillip Cocu with a tough decision to make.
But Lowe displayed confidence and ability against the Swans in a weaker position. His loan spell at Aberdeen was important for his development, and now he can push on.
Scott Malone, 28, often struggled to get going on Saturday. The former Huddersfield Town player is the club’s best left-back right now, but that could change if Lowe gets more first-team chances.
(Photo by Scott Baxter/Getty Images).
Derby have made a wise decision not to cash in on the player. Lowe has only produced glimpses of what he is capable of so far. However, the potential is without doubt there for him to become a top Championship player.