By Simon Banks
With a name like Max Power, it's a sure sign the powers that be have decided you're destined for something pretty special.
Fortunately, Max Power is carving a name for himself in the football world and is expected to go onto achieve big things within the game. The 21-year old midfielder currently plays for League Two's Tranmere Rovers where his performances have certainly been getting attention from bigger clubs. Power has been with Rovers since he was eight years old, and made his debut against Port Vale in 2011. Since then he has gone from strength to strength, winning multiple awards which include: Young Player of the Year 2012/2013 and goal of the season for his strike against Crewe.
An ambitious midfielder with natural attacking instincts, Power has been able to adapt his game to also screen the back four and provide extra defensive cover.
Former Tranmere manager, Ronnie Moore, enthused recently: "I think this is a massively important role for us. The three young midfield players we have at the moment - Chris Atkinson, James Rowe and Max - are very much alike.
"They are all top of the ground players who want to get forward and score goals. But if you are going to play with three midfield players you need to have one who will sit deeper. A lot of teams this season are playing with a man in the pocket, operating just behind the striker, and to counter that you need a midfield player who knows how to defend.
"So it is a learning curve for Max and I think he was excellent last Saturday. He got hold of the ball and made simple passes. He did not complicate things. He is a quick lad.
"Normally the people sitting in that role are players who can't run. Nine times out of 10 it is a playmaker who gets the ball and passes it. But playmakers can't defend. That's the problem. It is hard for younger players to adjust to what we are looking for but hopefully the penny is dropping with Max."
In a Tranmere side that has been struggling this season, Power has been one of the few bright spots and is now one of the first names out on the team sheet. A player never to shy away from his responsibilities, Power spoke with a certain amount of matureness when assessing Rovers poor start to the campaign. He said, "There have been games we could have won. We have not been scoring goals when we needed to and we have given too many goals away.
"We've not put back-to-back wins together and that is the kind of consistency we are looking for.
"We've seen glimpses of good form in games but it has been good and bad. We are trying to eliminate the bad stuff and maintain the good stuff. I don't think we are too far away."
It's no surprise Power has taken the captains armband in the absence of club skipper, Marcus Holness. His mature displays are gathering attention from a host of bigger clubs, with teams like Celtic, and Premier League duo Burnley and Swansea City registering an interest in the midfielder.
Tranmere would be loath to see him go, but so often is the case when big clubs come calling, it's usually only a matter of time until the player finds himself at a higher level.
