KAA Gent youngster Max Dean has revealed how he idolised Belgian players at Everton, thanks to Marouane Fellaini and Romelu Lukaku.
The striker has been talking to Het Nieuwsblad, relayed by Voetbal Primeur, about his time at Goodison Park and the Belgian players who influenced him.
Dean started his career in Everton’s youth system but left in July 2019 for Leeds, where he worked his way up the various ranks before joining MK Dons in January 2023.
He managed to impress enough there to convince KAA Gent to make their move for him this summer, spending €2m to take him to Belgium in July.
He’s been slowly integrating himself at his new club since, with one goal and one assist in four games in the Jupiler Pro League and three goals in five games in qualifying for the Europa Conference League.
Things are going relatively well for the 20-year-old, prompting Het Nieuwsblad to speak to him about his career to date.
That naturally meant talking about Everton, where it seems Belgian football was influencing him from an early age.
“I walked around with a Marouane Fellaini wig as a child. They sold them everywhere around the stadium. Fellaini was that good. Big, strong,” he said.
“Later, you had Romelu Lukaku, of course. The best player I ever saw at Everton. A beast. He scored against every opponent. Unbelievable player.”
