The Crewe Alexandra manager Steve Davis has said that he will be doing everything to protect the star striker Max Clayton, who has been spoken of as the next Michael Owen. The 18-year-old striker has become the next big thing to come out from the Crewe Alexandra academy. However, he has been subject to a lot of physical challenges from the opposition in the match as he has played so far. In order to protect one of his best players, the manager has revealed that he will be going to extreme lengths in order to ensure that Max Clayton does not suffer any major injuries as a result of the physical challenges.
Steve Davis has confirmed that Max Clayton will feature in a number of matches this year, but will not be burnt out in such a way that it hampers his long-term development. Clayton was not part of the match against Scunthorpe United during the weekend. This was due to the injuries he suffered in a match against Notts County on the opening game of the season. Crewe Alexandra were defeated 2-1 in the match, but they decided not to risk the star striker in the match against Scunthorpe. Crewe Alexandra ended up winning the match 2-1.
“Max is just a kid and we’ve got to protect him. There will be some times when he takes a bit of a battering, like he did against Notts County. He was prepared to play with heavily bruised ribs at Scunthorpe, but I thought taking him out of the firing line was the right thing to do. Introducing him later on when defenders were getting tired meant his movement and his quick feet could catch them out, and that’s how it proved,” said Steve Davis after the Scunthorpe United match.