I was released by Everton at 16 - now I'm making history against Chelsea

Eight kilometres outside of the Belgian city Ghent, in Oostakker, it would be tough to wipe the smile off of Max Dean’s face. He is sitting in his apartment, overlooking the sleepy town having only opened his league account for Gent in a 4-2 win over rivals Club Brugge, four days earlier.

For the boyhood Evertonian and Blues academy product, there would have been fewer better feelings than netting past former Liverpool goalkeeper Simon Mignolet - possibly only matched from his time finding the target against the Reds at youth level.

Franck Sudez threaded Dean through, the 20-year-old took one glance up and finished with aplomb, across the Belgian shot-stopper and into the bottom left corner. The attacker channelled information from a pre-match analysis session, as well as, advice passed on from former Everton striker Francis Jeffers from his time at the Academy.

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Beer and verbal abuse poured down from the home supporters as the former MK Dons talisman struts in a ‘Conor McGregor-inspired’ celebration in front of them. "I did that against Notts County," he laughs.

"I went down and they started booing me, and it happened against Brugge, it must be when I get booed that I go, 'if you’re going to boo me, I’ll give you something back when I score'.

"I didn’t plan to do it the first time or again, I was watching (Anthony) Joshua and seen (Conor) McGregor in the crowd - so it must’ve been in the back of my mind. He’s a sick man, isn’t he? So why not do that."

A week later, he made it two in three league games, sweeping a left-footed strike into the back of the net - firing Gent on course to a 3-0 win over OH Leuven.

Dean, who was only released by Everton four years ago, has already scored three times in the competition and his air miles ranging from the Faroe Islands to Serbia, via Denmark after making the move to Belgium’s top-flight from League Two in the summer.

And on Thursday, he will be looking to inspire an upset against Enzo Maresca’s squad, who only bolstered their ranks with £220million injection in the summer, in their UEFA Conference League Group Stage curtain-raiser.

Everton disappointment and the long road to Belgium

"I remember it well," the 20-year-old recalled, discussing his release from the team he’s supported his whole life. Over 24 hours earlier, Dean had played a key role in helping Everton’s youngsters beat West Bromwich Albion - scoring twice.

By that point, the writing was on the wall for the striker. Sadness was the initial feeling but it soon became optimism at the prospect of continuing his career away from Finch Farm - a training complex he spent the majority of his life at, moving house to be closer in Halewood and enrolling on Wade Deacon High School, one of the Blues’ official partner schools, in Widnes.

Tom Cannon and Lewis Dobbin, who went on to make their Premier League debuts for Everton, were in the year above Dean, while he shared a changing room with Katia Kouyate - who moved to Barrow in the summer.

"It was tough to hear but you’ve got to take it and move on," he said. "I was always top goalscorer in the age groups from a young age all the way up, there was maybe two or three years where I wasn’t."

It wasn’t entirely doom and gloom, Dean dusted himself down and went into high school to tell his teammates and peers of the news. But days later, he sat down with Everton combing through a list of at least 20 clubs looking to sign the striker.

There were trials at Wigan Athletic, Sunderland and Derby County before Leeds United. In a practice match for the Whites against Sheffield United, Dean missed two penalties sparking the moment where he felt like ‘stopping the trial’, but bounced back with a brace in a 3-1 win.

An outing for their under-18s soon after against Bolton Wanderers and a contract was tabled. His first year in West Yorkshire is one that he looks back on with the fondest of memories, under the tutelage of Marcelo Bielsa and Mark Jackson.

COVID put obstacles in front of him as he adjusted to life with the Championship club but he would be promoted to the under-23s squad and into a bubble with the first-team - rubbing shoulders with the likes of fellow youngsters Joe Gelhardt, Crysencio Summerville (now West Ham United) and Charlie Cresswell (now Toulouse).

The 20-year-old says: "Working under (Marcelo) Bielsa and Mark Jackson, it was incredible, it was the best year because of the football and the quality was unbelievable. His detail and coaching was unbelievable. I learned so much from him about football."

But in the pecking order at Elland Road, Dean was low down having to battle with the likes of Patrick Bamford, Spain international Rodrigo and fellow Liverpudlian, Gelhardt.

Two years on and approaching the remaining six months of his contract he felt it was best to move on - after hitting 16 goals in 38 under-23 appearances. The opportunity to reunite with Jackson, a manager who he followed through Leeds’ youth ranks to the under-23s, was too good to resist.

"I didn’t want to get to the stage where I was playing (under-23s level) at 20 or 21," he explains. "If you’re a scholar, under-23s is the best time of your life because you’re playing up but when it became pretty much my age, I thought the longer I stay the less chance I have of a career.

"As soon as he said that he wanted me, I was straight down there."

But the first six months of Dean's latest chapter were spent coming off the bench - scoring one goal in five appearances in League One. Jackson was sacked and replaced by Graham Alexander in light of their relegation.

After a spell on the bench, he was afforded an opportunity and after a brace in a 2-2 draw with Barrow - it felt like the beginning for the attacker under the former Preston North End midfielder. However, it proved to be Alexander's final encounter in the dugout as he was subsequently dismissed in October, after a mere 16 games, and was replaced by former Newcastle defender Mike Williamson.

The turbulent period, relegation and down the pecking order, was difficult for the Liverpool youngster. One he describes as a learning curve.

"It was almost like a reality check because I thought I’d come in to the pre-season and thought because I’d had my six months, I’d be the main man but it wasn’t like that," he explained. "I was in League Two, third or fourth-choice striker, it was similar to Leeds but there was nowhere else that I could go, I knew I’d have to push my way in."

Dean never looked back, inspiring MK Dons to challenge Stockport County and Wrexham, netting 15 times in 29 league appearances as they secured a place in the playoffs.

However, they suffered one of the heaviest defeats in playoff history as eventual winners, Crawley, inflicted a stinging 8-1 aggregate defeat over two-legs.

Dean reflected: "It still hurts now, it was unacceptable. It was embarrassing those two games."

Two months later, he signed a four-year deal with the Belgian club for an undisclosed fee. There was strong interest from Toulouse, with the 20-year-old eyeing an experience abroad, as well from Championship and League One clubs.

But the lure of challenging in Belgium’s top division and UEFA Conference League football was something that he couldn't turn down.

'Mad how football can change'

In a matter of months, Dean has gone from scoring seven in five matches for MK Dons in League Two to two in three in Belgium.

The Gent striker has three goals from their Conference League qualifying campaign, firing home against Víkingur and in both legs as they progressed at Silkeborg IF’s expense.

With qualification for the new-look group stage secured, Gent could not have wished for a bigger draw in the form of favourites Chelsea.

"It’s crazy how I was getting released at 16 to getting interest abroad at 20, it’s mad how football can change and to play in Europe, it’s nuts," says Dean.

Walking out at Stamford Bridge won’t be new to Dean, having done so for Leeds under-23s in front 437 fans but Thursday will be different with a packed-out away section.

He said: "We’ll go there and play how we play - a point would be nice but we’re going for all three. We played Club Brugge, who are in the Champions League, done a job on them so we’ll be full of confidence going to Chelsea

"Everyone knows the size of Chelsea, they shouldn’t be in the Conference League - more second or third (in the Premier League)."

Back in the port city in Belgium, internally the focus since the draw has been on their league aspirations, but ‘all eyes’ have been on the prospect of playing the two-time Champions League winners as it dominated the conversation.

There was Chelsea vs Gent memorabilia sold in the club shop ahead of their encounter with OH Leuven, on Sunday, as fans posed with the historic momentos. The players are constantly reminded in their training complex of the famous win over Tottenham Hotspur in the Europa League, seven years ago, as the Premier League club were knocked out 3-2 on aggregate.

Pedro Neto, Joao Felix, Nicolas Jackson, Christopher Nkunku, Jadon Sancho, Noni Madueke and Enzo Fernandez are some of the stars that the Londoners will have at their disposal.

"It’ll be a similar feeling to that Brugge game, we are the underdogs but have nothing to lose," Dean says. "I don’t really pick out a player. I’m not going to idolise any of their players, whoever is in their starting 11, we want to beat them."

With three Conference League goals to his tally, the 20-year-old is searching for his fourth. Could there be scenes reminiscent of the win over Brugge as he strutted in front of the home fans?

"I don’t care where I score," Dean says, with a wry smile. "I’m sure I can give a bit to the Chelsea fans. It’ll be extra special in front of those away fans in that corner."