Maximillian Aarons (2025 to 2026)
London-born Max joined Rangers on a season long loan deal on June 25th, 2025.
The right-back, an England youth and under-21 internationalist, began his professional career with Norwich City whom he had joined from Luton Town’s Academy.
Making 41 league appearances in his debut season as the Canaries won the 2018/19 Championship, Max established himself as a first team regular over the next four seasons as Norwich bounced back and forward between the top two tiers of English football.
Having failed to secure a return to the Premier League at the end of season 2022/23, Aarons agreed to join AFC Bournemouth for a fee of £7m. The Cherries ended their 2023/24 campaign in 12th position, Aarons making 20 appearances.
Featuring in only 3 league matches during the first half of season 2024/25, Aarons spent the second part on loan to Valencia CF. Whilst the La Liga side retained an option to purchase the player on conclusion of the loan, they chose not to exercise it with Aarons making only a handful of appearances, mainly from the bench. Max’s first two appearances for the club came against Barcelona, a side linked with the player back in 2020.
Head Coach Russell Martin’s playing career with Norwich City was ending just as Aaron’s forced his way into the first team, but the youngster appeared to have made a positive impression. The newly appointed Gers boss described Max as “a wonderfully talented player” and a “fantastic addition to the squad”. With captain James Tavernier now surely approaching the end of his own Gers career, the signing of Aaron’s seemed a logical one.
Max’s Rangers debut came on 22nd July 2025 as Rangers defeated Panathinaikos 2-0 in the UEFA Champions League qualifier at Ibrox.
Rangers entered the season with a problem brewing on the left side of their defence. It was no secret that the Club were seeking to mitigate their losses by moving on the injury plagued Ridvan Yilmaz and, in the early weeks of the season, it became apparent that the Brazilian Jefte was also likely to leave. Having already advised B Team captain Robbie Fraser that he had no part to play under Martin, and with the more versatile Sterling still recovering from injury, there was a clear lack of options.
Martin’s initial solution was to play Aaron’s out of position, and it was a situation from which the player never seemed to recover. Looking ill at ease on having to navigate on his much weaker left side, Max offered little in terms of an offensive contribution, the entire team looking lost defensively as the Gers head coach failed to implement his ideas.
Friction between Martin and Tavernier (amongst others) did allow Aarons the opportunity to slot into his favoured position but, by then, it appeared that his confidence was already suffering. If Martin perceived the arrival of left full-back Jayden Meghoma to be the missing piece of the jigsaw, there was a reality check as Rangers lost three goals in the opening 20 minutes of Meghoma's debut against Club Brugge. It was a shambolic team performance. Worse was to follow in the return leg in Belgium when Max was shown a straight red card in the 8th minute with the side in full panic mode. Already trailing by a goal on the night, the ten men of Rangers would concede a further 5, crashing out 9-1 on aggregate. It was a totoal humiliation, surely sealing the fate of Martin despite him remaining in the job for a further 39 days. In truth, he should have been sacked before the plane touched back down in Glasgow.
Dropped to the bench following his part in the Belgian debacle, Max immediately made his first telling contribution when his strike at Livingston secured, at the sixth attempt, a first league victory of the season. Introduced as a late substitute, Aarons swept home a right foot shot at the back post as Rangers took advantage of a 94th minute corner. Following initial celebrations, there was a reality check for Max and his teammates as many within the travelling support reverted to further chants of “Martin, Martin get to f**k!”.
They would, belatedly, get their wish.
Max made his first appearance under Danny Rohl as a substitute in a 3-1 win over Kilmarnock at Ibrox on 26th October 2025. With Rohl initially restoring faith in James Tavernier, and Dujon Sterling returning following his latest long-term injury, Aarons would find himself relegated the bench for the majority of Rohl’s time in charge.
Of the 20 matches Aaron’s started for Rangers, half of them came in European competition. His final start came in the 3-1 defeat against FC Porto in Portugal. In all, Max made 35 appearances during his season in Glasgow. Few were disappointed to see the player return to his parent club.
by Rick Plews
