Max Allen, the 20-year-old son of former English cricket star Mark Allen, began his career at Manchester City in a draw against Brighton to fill the defensive gap in coach Pep Guardiola's squad after injuries to Robin Diaz and Jukka Guardiola. Allen started in defense alongside Abdulqadir Khozhanov. Guardiola commented on the decision. City signed Allen from Southampton's academy in 2021, and he sat on the first team bench 7 times without playing. He was part of City's under-21 team last season, but the club extended his contract until 2030. They then loaned him to Watford (first division) in the summer, where he played 17 matches, and then activated his recall clause in the winter transfer window to solve their defensive crisis.
