Club news

Sanders Honoured To Represent His Country

By Kieran Cleeves • 15 May 2018

Brighton & Hove Albion under-23 midfielder Max Sanders expressed his pride to be called up to England’s under-19 squad for an upcoming training camp in Manchester, following a successful season for Simon Rusk’s promotion-winning team.

The 19-year-old will meet up with the Young Lions for a training camp ahead of this summer’s UEFA European Under-19 Championship in Finland, and Sanders admitted his excitement after finding out he’d been selected.

He said, “I’m buzzing to get the call-up. I’ve been working hard all season, so it’s really good to be recognised.

“You want to represent your country and it’s definitely the best thing that you can do in football.

“Simon called me and said I was on standby, but then he pulled me to one side in training and told me I’d been selected for the final squad.

“It’s been an amazing year - with the first-team call-up being the highlight of it. Now I’ve been given this international call-up, it’s just an amazing feeling.”

Sanders featured in 23 of Albion’s 24 games in the Premier League 2 Division 2 this season, and the midfielder revealed how much he’s enjoying his football at the minute, after moving up from the under-18s for the season just gone.

“Once I got my chance in the under-23s, I wanted to crack on from there. I felt like I took my chance and I’ve been working hard ever since.

“Hopefully that’s the reason why I’ve got to this stage in the season feeling happy and confident in my football.

“This season has been the most I’ve come on as a player, by a long way. I’ve improved both on and off the ball - things have really fallen into place for me.”

The Seagulls secured promotion after beating Aston Villa 2-0 in the Premier League 2 Play-Off Final, and Sanders was delighted to captain the team to victory at Villa Park - which was a fine way to top off a promising season.

“To captain the team, it’s an amazing feeling. I’m always proud to wear the armband for the club, as I’ve been here for 11 years now.

“Being promoted with the under-23s was amazing - we thoroughly deserved it. We’ve been together as a team all season and worked hard for one another.

“We weren't getting much luck at the start of the season, but as soon as we started winning, everything clicked into place.”