| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Max Jimmy Dean [1] | ||
| Date of birth | 21 February 2004 | ||
| Place of birth | Ormskirk, England [2] | ||
| Height | 1.78 m (5 ft 10 in) [1] | ||
| Position(s) | Striker | ||
| Team information | |||
Current team | Gent | ||
| Number | 21 | ||
| Youth career | |||
| Leeds United | |||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2023–2024 | Milton Keynes Dons | 38 | (16) |
| 2024– | Gent | 17 | (6) |
| International career‡ | |||
| 2024– | England U20 | 4 | (4) |
| *Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 22:17, 26 December 2024 (UTC) ‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 13:40, 12 December 2024 (UTC) | |||
Max Jimmy Dean (born 21 February 2004) is an English professional footballer who plays as a striker for Belgian Pro League club Gent.
Dean began his career with Leeds United, [3] signing his first professional contract with the club in March 2021. [4]
On 20 January 2023, Dean signed for League One club Milton Keynes Dons on a permanent deal for an undisclosed fee, reuniting with his former Leeds United U23 coach Mark Jackson. [5] [6] [7] [8] He made his senior professional debut for the club a day later as a second-half substitute in a 2–1 away win against Forest Green Rovers. [9] [10] On 4 February 2023, Dean scored his first senior professional goal in a 2–0 away win over Bristol Rovers. [11]
Following an impressive start to the 2023–24 season, Dean was awarded the EFL Young Player of the Month award for October 2023 having scored four goals in five appearances. [12]
Dean suffered an injury in February 2024. [13] [14] After returning to the first-team, he scored two goals and made two further assists in a 5–0 victory against Walsall on 30 March 2024. [15] [16] With the club reaching the play-offs, Dean finished the season as top scorer with 19 goals in all competitions, and was named Milton Keynes Dons' Young Player of the Year. [17]
On 12 July 2024, Dean joined Belgian Pro League club Gent on a four-year contract for an undisclosed fee. [18] [19] [20] He made his competitive debut for the club on 1 August 2024 in a 3–0 second leg UEFA Conference League second qualifying round away win over Vikingur, a game in which he provided an assist and scored from the penalty spot. [21]
Dean scored in his next two games for Gent, in both legs of the third qualifying round tie against Silkeborg IF. [22] [23]
Dean was used sparingly by coach Wouter Vrancken in the early weeks of the 2024-25 Belgian Pro League season, but once given a starting place scored twice in the space of three games, including in wins over Club Brugge, [24] and Oud-Heverlee Leuven. [25]
In October 2024, Dean was called up to an England age group squad for the first time, being selected for the England U20. [26] He scored on his debut, coming off the bench during a 2–1 win over Italy, [27] going on to score twice in a 3-0 home win over the Czech Republic later in the week in his second game for his country. [28]
| Club | Season | League | National cup [a] | League cup [b] | Europe | Other | Total | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Leeds United U21 | 2020–21 [29] | ― | ― | ― | ― | 2 [c] | 2 | 2 | 2 | |||||
| 2021–22 [30] | ― | ― | ― | ― | 3 [c] | 1 | 3 | 1 | ||||||
| 2022–23 [31] | ― | ― | ― | ― | 1 [c] | 0 | 1 | 0 | ||||||
| Total | ― | ― | ― | ― | 6 | 3 | 6 | 3 | ||||||
| Milton Keynes Dons | 2022–23 [31] | League One | 9 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ― | 0 | 0 | 9 | 1 | |
| 2023–24 [32] | League Two | 29 | 15 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | ― | 4 [d] | 3 | 34 | 19 | ||
| Total | 38 | 16 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | ― | 4 | 3 | 43 | 20 | |||
| KAA Gent | 2024–25 [1] | Belgian Pro League | 17 | 6 | 2 | 3 | — | 11 [e] | 4 | ― | 30 | 13 | ||
| Career total | 55 | 22 | 3 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 11 | 4 | 10 | 6 | 79 | 36 | ||
Individual