Following a breakthrough pre-season, Max Lowe believes the 2018/19 season is his for the taking.
The 21-year-old defender has flourished in his return from loan and under the guidance of Frank Lampard.
The dynamic left-back slotted into the new managers attacking style seamlessly during the pre-season and has been key in implementing the play out from the back.
With Derby County kicking off the Sky Bet Championship campaign against Reading tonight, Lowe now must trust in the hard work he has put in over the past few weeks and keep fighting to get a starting spot.
Those eleven places are hard to come by with competition strong all over the pitch, but for Lowe, who missed last pre-season through injury, he feels that this will be his time to make his mark.
“I’m excited, 100 percent. We are buzzing for it and we can’t wait for Friday night,” Lowe told RamsTV.
“I’d like to stay fit this season and get in the Starting XI, that’s in my hands and I’ve got to do it now. I’m at that age where I need to be playing those games.
“I’ve been given the opportunity in pre-season and I like to think I’ve done well in the games I have played in.”
Lowe may have boosted his résumé over the past month, but is under no illusions that anything is given, especially when the man to impress is notorious for the intensity and work-ethic he demands from his players.
The esteem of the new manager quickly faded for Lowe, who admitted he was in awe at their first meeting, as he got to work.
He explains that it’s not just the centre-midfielders who can tap in to Lampard’s expertise, but having played with and against the best players in the world, the manager can impart knowledge of their game into his players, something that Lowe is grateful for.
“In Tenerife and the first time I met him I thought ‘wow, it’s Frank Lampard’. Now he is just the gaffer and we have that respect for him,” Lowe said.
“He is very different to other managers, he expects hard work first and foremost. You have got to put in the work to get in the starting XI.
“Pre-season has been massive in terms of the intensity of the sessions, the shape and structure of how the gaffer wants us to play. I think we have built on it really well and it showed in our games recently.”
He added: “He has worked with the likes of Ashley Cole and always refers that to me, tells me what he would do and how he moves in certain positions. It’s always going to help me if I’m learning from the best.”
As well as thriving under a new manager, Lowe is building on the experienced gained in the second half of last season when he went on loan to Shrewsbury Town.
The former England Under-20 international made 12 League One appearances for Shrewsbury, helping them to the play-off final where they just missed out on promotion.
He also made appearances in the EFL Trophy in which the Shrews made it to the final and played in the FA Cup third round in a draw and defeat against West Ham.
“At first, I didn’t want to go, it’s easy being at Derby. Its home for me, I’ve been here since I was 10 so going out to Shrewsbury was a massive change for me,” said Lowe.
“The experience was unbelievable. It was my first loan, we played in two cup finals and even though we didn’t win, it was a massive learning curve for me.
“Just being in the changing room with the lads in the lower leagues was a reality check because they are at a different level to what they are here.”
